Psychiatry Recruitment and Retention Working Group: final report

Implemented Improvements and Additional Recommendations

Over the lifespan of the Group, several improvements have already been implemented, supported by or led by various members as well as the Scottish Government. These include:

Phase 1: Psychiatry Training and Trainee Recruitment

Perception, Early Exposure and Training Experience

The Group discussed and considered actions around Foundation Training:

• Exploring how FY1 placements could be made more practical and innovative to ensure that sufficient and effective supervision is available
• Evaluating mental health simulation training for FY1s
• Exploring the current use and potential addition of liaison psychiatry posts
• How planned expansions to Foundation Training can be best utilised to increase attraction to psychiatry, including through increased exposure.

Focus area 1 – Evaluating mental health simulation training for FY1s:

The Associate Postgrad Dean for Foundation Simulation at NES provided the Working Group with an update on Mental Health simulation training for FY1s in 2023. This programme was developed in alignment with the FY1 curriculum and successfully piloted in NHS Lothian in 2021. In 2022 the programme was further piloted in NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Grampian. Many Health Boards have now included this work in their programmes of learning within FY1.

Focus area 2 – Exploring the current use and potential addition of liaison psychiatry posts:

Ways to increase the number of Foundation placements in psychiatry, giving careful consideration to the type of post that is appropriate for FY1s (most of whom are currently placed in liaison posts). The Group considered current FY1 psychiatry placement numbers, regional factors, capacity issues due to recent Core Training expansion and current progress on this by NES.

Focus area 3 – Utilising planned Foundation Training expansions to increase exposure to psychiatry:

Planned increases to Foundation Training were implemented or agreed throughout the life of the Working Group including 48 places in 2024 and 99 in 2025. NES have been working to increase exposure to both Psychiatry and General Practice through the creation of these posts. The aim is to have one third of all Foundation trainees allocated to Psychiatry-orientated placements at any one time.

Core and Higher Specialty Training: attraction and flow-through

The Group discussed and progressed the following actions relating to Specialty Training:

• Gathering additional data on pathway progression, attraction and attrition
• Considering initiatives to improve CT to ST transition support (including the provision of information to trainees)
• Exploring flexible training options including run-through training and dual training
• Considering how to recognise, enhance and better utilise experience outside formal training posts
• Discussing targeted incentives and other options
• How to support trainees to complete specialty training within six years and avoid any delays.

Focus area 1 – Gathering further data on pathway progression, attraction and attrition:

As requested by the Group, a paper was produced by NES Digital in February 2024. The paper drew on data from several sources to examine the transition between different stages of psychiatrists’ careers in Scotland, including the transition from:

• FY2 to Core Psychiatry Training
• Core Training to Higher Specialty Training (HST) in psychiatry
• HST to Certificate of Completion Training (CCT)
• CCT to consultant employment in NHS Scotland

The Group considered these findings and suggested reviewing and updating this data on a regular basis (either annually or bi-annually). This would enable improved monitoring on the impact of the work to be undertaken which will help, to shape any further scope for improvement work that may be required.

The Group also considered potential reasons for some core trainees not progressing directly to higher training and instead choosing to work as a locum, specialty doctor etc. This was considered through an RCPsychiS focus group RCPsychiS published research on this in August 2023 which fell under the six key themes of:

1. Feeling unprepared for higher training and greater responsibility

2. Pragmatism of the training programme

3. Experiential motivators

4. Demographic motivators

5. Higher training application criteria

6. Bottleneck in higher training places

Another area of interest for the Group was recruitment to Psychiatry Specialty Training, specifically competition ratios (nationally and regionally) and how many trainees ranked Scotland as their first choice. Data was sourced on the number of applicants who rank Scotland as one of their preferences when applying for a psychiatry training post. However, it was not possible to analyse this on a more granular level i.e. on a regional or specialty-specific basis or to distinguish how highly trainees’ preference Scotland in their list of choices.

Focus area 2 – Considering support and guidance for applying to and transitioning to Higher Specialty Training:

To ensure trainees feel more prepared to move directly into the next stage of their careers, the Group agreed on the importance of considering how to introduce and embed, within core training, a consistent flow of information and knowledge about what’s needed for higher training and the application process. This is being progressed as part of ongoing work on the NHS Scotland psychiatry webpages that is being taken forward as part of the Working Group’s work, which also includes the production of two case studies about Higher Specialty Trainees.

Stepping up to ST4 is a pilot course which aims to support trainees during the transition between core and higher specialty training. This was the first course of its kind for Psychiatry although NHS Lothian run similar courses for Paediatrics and Ophthalmology. The pilot was advertised to all CT3s and run at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and the Western General Hospital, with financial support from those hospitals, including the use of NHS Lothian simulation facilities and support from a range of volunteer speakers. The evaluation of the pilot consisted of three separate days where data was collected based on a series of eleven questions that trainees were asked on those specific days. Informal feedback was shared with the Working Group by the course organiser, a Medical Education Fellow at NHS Lothian, in August 2024. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and trainees liked the fact that the course was cross-regional with plans to involve people from other regions to feed into the design of the sessions for next year.

Focus area 3 – Exploring training flexibility options including run-through training and dual training:

An options paper on training flexibility to support attracting more applicants to (and retaining trainees in) Psychiatry as a whole was prepared . The paper was based on ideas generated by the Group and was prepared in order to facilitate further consideration of this topic by the Working Group. The paper aimed to set out ways in which the level of flexibility for trainees can be improved while recognising the varying levels of demand across Scotland. The Group recognised the considerable efforts already made by NES to allow for flexible working in Psychiatry and that the feasibility of efforts to build on this will vary both in terms of cost and time taken to implement.

The paper is broken down into potential short-term, medium-term and long-term options.

Short-term options:

(1) Redistribution of vacant posts

(2) Dual-training opportunities

(3) Increasing trainee awareness of developmental opportunities

Medum-term options:

(4) Expanding training numbers

Long-term options:

(5) Run-through training

(6) WTE adjustment to account for LTFT training

(1) Redistributing vacant posts

Training numbers have historically been allocated on the following basis: East (10%), North (15%), South East (25%) and West (50%). There has since been a move away from this traditional model given the need for increased supply in under-doctored areas, with the North and East, for example, now receiving a greater proportion of core training posts compared to the West and South East.

Following recent expansion to Core Training and due to a surplus of applicants in the Central Belt (Table 4) and a number of vacant posts in the North and East, the Working Group suggested exploring moving some HST posts on a temporary basis. The aim of this would be to strengthen supply in areas where there is sufficient applicant interest, with a view to increasing overall trained doctor output by reducing attrition between Core and Higher Specialty Training.

However, there were valid reservations about this from a funding perspective e.g. if a post were moved from the East to the West, the East would no longer receive any funding for that post. Furthermore, given the already existing regional challenges with recruitment to HST, it was feared that this could place additional pressure on underfilled areas. Therefore, it was suggested that alternative ways of supporting these regions would need to be considered e.g. further uplifts at Core Training level (if capacity is available), employing a bespoke package of support to promote recruitment, facilitating effective networking and redesigning rotations across more popular programmes to support areas with challenges. Other options such as exploring Board-funded posts were also discussed.

Given the above considerations, NES are reviewing national programmes allocations process and are undertaking a flexible approach to regional National Training Number (NTN) allocation dependent on trainee availability. NES are also undertaking a scoping exercise of the current four General Adult Psychiatry rotations which are based on the old four Deanery boundaries. Consideration is being given to whether these can be streamlined into one, two or three new geographic rotations, each with re-designed posts that can potentially offer flexibility in rotation across historical regional health board allocations.

(2) Dual training

Dual training options are already available for some specialties and regions. For example, two dual-training posts were advertised for the August 2024 intake, one in the East in General Adult Psychiatry (GAP) / Medical Psychotherapy and one in the North in GAP / Old Age Psychiatry. There was one Forensic Psychiatry / Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) post advertised in 2023 in the West.

The Working Group was interested in exploring dual training posts with a focus on improving flexibility. It considered a range of factors, as set out below.

Demand for dual-training opportunities is growing e.g. GAP / Medical Psychotherapy is known to be a popular option. Consideration also needs to be given for a more generalist skillset in rural areas up to and including crossing traditional skill boundaries. However, the creation of dual training should consider service need. Trainees on dual-training programmes have two National Training Numbers (NTNs) and training in a dual programme takes 5 years with a proportionate increase in cost of training. The output of doctors taking up substantive posts in regions of service following completion of available dual training programmes also need to be considered.

NES noted that while they have always sought to be flexible in designing individual dual training posts, this is dependent on both service need and trainee availability and aspiration. This flexibility needs to take into account that that trainees who undertake dual training often choose the subspecialty component over GAP, the specialty with the greatest need.

(3) Increasing awareness of developmental opportunities

The State of the Nation report made reference to a lack of trainee understanding when it comes to the developmental opportunities that are available in other regions e.g. special interest sessions; teaching, research and quality-improvement opportunities; and future consultant posts. The Group considered whether promoting these opportunities in underfilled regions could increase the attractiveness and was worth exploring, especially in areas with high vacancy rates. The Group also considered how developmental opportunities in other areas could be made more readily available at a local and national level to increase awareness among trainees.

Furthermore, the Group also considered the need to balance meeting the needs of the population also the psychiatrists themselves, given that trainees are also keen to have some level of flexibility to negotiate training posts so that they better suit their needs and/or interests. If in line with local service need and future workforce requirements, the accommodation of such requests could encourage personal development and allow trainees the opportunity to pursue their own interests – all while undertaking training and delivering services. One possible option considered is whether job descriptions could be used to indicate whether there is any scope for successful applicants to pursue special interests out with the standard programme.

NES noted that Training Programme Directors in both the national programmes and the regional General Adult Psychiatry rotations are fully aware of developmental opportunities in their regions and should be easily accessible to trainees.

(4) Expanding training numbers

A medium-term option considered by the group is the expansion of training numbers. Since 2014, numerous expansion posts have been created in Psychiatry Core Training and in Psychiatry Higher Training through the annual specialty training establishment review process led by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group.

As the supply of core trainees continue to grow as a result of these expansions, the Group discussed the need to identify/agree priority areas for expansion at higher specialty training level. Several factors will need to be taken into account when considering future HST post numbers, including:

• Consultant vacancy rates at board and specialty level i.e. quantifying service need
• Psychiatry locum spend at board level
• The output of core trainees who can apply for higher training posts, noting the rarity of linear progression
• The number of higher training posts currently available, regional fill rate trends and current vacancies
• The need to ensure balance between the number of core training posts in the system and the number of higher training posts which need to be filled
• The regional distribution of additional posts
• The number of trainees who have completed core training but are currently out of programme as they wait for posts to become available in their preferred

specialty/region

• Previous expansion in Higher Specialty Training run-through programmes (e.g. Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Intellectual Disability)
• Available supervision capacity and options for increasing this as required
• The importance of not considering HST expansion as the sole solution to recruitment and retention issues in Psychiatry, particularly in remote and rural areas, and the need to consider alternative options e.g. portfolio pathways, international recruitment, run-through training, incentives etc.

NES are exploring options around the greater use of flexibility in re-distribution of NTNs in national subspecialty programmes and the redesign of the current four

regional GAP programmes. These programmes will incorporate greater flexibility in regional allocations across traditional territorial health board boundaries. This has included GAP rotations entirely based in NHS Lanarkshire and moving expansion posts flexibly where local intelligence has identified candidates for hard to fill posts. An evaluation of the success of these in improving HST fill rates could feed into the consideration of any potential future expansions in HST.

(5) Run-through training

The Group decided to explore run-through training for two reasons. Firstly, removing the need for trainees to apply for an ST4 post after completing core training makes them more likely to stay in the same area until they CCT (and potentially practice as a consultant in that same area). Therefore, it could be an effective way of retaining trainees in a specific geographical location. Secondly, run-through training is reportedly popular in England.

Consequently, run-through training programmes were introduced for Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (in 2023) and Intellectual Disability Psychiatry (in 2024). This was in an effort to address the problematic attrition rates between CT3 and ST4. Funding was provided by the Scottish Government for two run-through Intellectual Disability Psychiatry posts and two further run-through Child & Adolescent Psychiatry posts in 2024. In addition to this, uplifts have been made in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2), GAP (2) and Old Age psychiatry (2) in 2025 following recommendations made to ministers through the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group. Recruitment to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry run-through programme in 2023 and 2024 and to the Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability run-through programme since commencement in 2024 is at 100%.

As for dual training, the output of doctors taking up substantive posts in regions of service need following completion of these new run-through training programmes needs to be evaluated in the future. Both programmes had already been signed off by the GMC as they were already running in England. However, the introduction of any new run-through programmes in other specialties would be subject to the same level of GMC scrutiny.

(6) WTE adjustment to account for LTFT training

As outlined previously there have been increases to LTFT working which have potential impacts on trainee experience, specific geographic areas, supervision requirements and rotas for service delivery. The Group therefore considered how to account for LTFT training through WTE adjustments during recruitment, taking into account the needs of specific specialties and regions (given current variation), any other proposed changes to the training establishment (e.g. expansion) and supervision capacity. Data on LTFT rates in consultants, doctors in training and specialty doctors was included in updates to NES Digital’s data paper in May 2024. The potential role of any Board-funded posts or the potential for pilots in specific Boards was also discussed. The importance of continuing to account for LTFT training in future workforce modelling was also raised.

Focus area 4 – Considering how to recognise, enhance and better utilise experience outside formal training posts:

The Group considered several potential actions on recognising, enhancing and better utilising experience outside formal training posts, including:

• The rollout of e-Portfolios by RCPSYCH, including consideration of whether time spent in posts out with training can be counted towards progression, assuming competencies have been met
• Considering the use of non-CCT (non-qualified) locums and how to support them to take up substantive roles including through the Certificate of Eligibility Specialist Registration (CESR) programme
• Supporting the implementation of a CESR / portfolio pathway programmes such as the one in NHS Grampian
• How Clinical Development Fellow posts can be improved and utilised more effectively to promote development, attraction and capacity.

Focus area 5 – Exploring targeted incentives and other options:

The Group was interested in exploring the use of targeted incentives (financial and non-financial) to encourage trainees to commence or remain in Specialty Training. Particularly in areas with high vacancy rates (e.g. remote and rural areas), considering any available data on the impacts of potential incentives on decision-making. As recommended by the Group, Scottish Government met with Health Education Improvement Wales in January 2024 to discuss their work on attraction and recruitment, including:

• NHS Wales Train Work Live (TWL) National and International attraction campaign, which launched in October 2016 with a focus on GP recruitment
• A ‘universal incentive’ scheme paying exam fees for GP and Psychiatry trainees, which was implemented for psychiatry trainees from August 2018
• A ‘targeted incentive’ scheme for trainees taking posts in rural North and West Wales that were traditionally difficult to fill
• Other attraction campaigns that have been explored by NHS Wales.

Focus area 6 – How to support trainees to complete specialty training within six years and avoid any delays:

The Group discussed the importance of identifying, providing and promoting information and practices that can support trainees through the different stages of Core Psychiatry Training, for example, timely commencement of psychotherapy training, early information sharing regarding the Higher Specialty Training programmes and applications process, exam preparation support etc. This is being progressed as part of ongoing work on the NHS Scotland psychiatry webpages being taken forward as part of the Group’s work.

Regarding exam pass rates, some Group members discussed with RCPsych UK increased flexibility in the ordering of College exams, as was done during the Covid-19 pandemic. RCPsych UK agreed to share information on the analysis of exam performance and pass rates during Covid-19. RCPsych UK noted that flexible ordering of exams was not being pursued as they felt that allowing trainees to sit the CASC exam first, only for them to fail subsequent exams (papers A & B), would be a waste of time from a trainee’s perspective. However, they highlighted that there were now more opportunities to sit or re-sit exams.

In terms of exam preparation support, the Group considered a ‘CASC Masterclass’ pilot which ran in 2021, run by Edge Hill University in collaboration with Health Education England (HEE) and the GMC who analysed data from these courses. Preliminary data suggested that CASC pass rates improved for those who had attended the masterclass and that the courses were effective in supporting trainees who had either already failed CASC or were more likely to fail based on their geographical location i.e. those in areas with lower-than-average pass rates. A full evaluation was published on 31 July 2024 which considered impacts of the IMG attainment gap and analysis of exam outcomes for masterclass participants. A few key findings from the quantitative evaluation included but were not limited to:

• 179 trainees attended a masterclass and 12 attended only one day of the 2-day course or only observed on both days.
• 153 participants (91%) have subsequently passed the CASC exam, with 125 (74%) passing on their first attempt post-Masterclass. This is on a par with the national average first-attempt pass rate of 70% for all GMC registered CASC candidates (GMC, CASC data 2014-2023).
• Non-UK PMQ holders had a pass rate of 12% higher than those not attending a masterclass; 68% versus 56%.
• Those with UK PMQ’s who attended the Masterclass had a pass rate of 93%, which is the same as those who had not.

In addition to this, two further masterclasses have since run in August 2024 and December 2024 (linked to the CASC diets in September 2024 and January 2025 respectively). However, RCPsych have not yet conducted any formal analysis on these masterclasses. While a similar RCPsych course was cancelled due to low uptake, the College intends to explore/offer more structured courses in the future. There are also local alternatives offered by each region in Scotland which are funded through NES study leave budgets. The support and content vary by region: in the West region there are 6 CASC practice sessions from August to November, delivered by higher trainees who are not CASC examiners and cannot offer 1:1 feedback, in contrast to the CASC masterclass. These locally delivered courses focus on trainees in CT3 (and CT2 in some regions) but a growing number of trainees can make it more difficult to offer tailored support.

Furthermore, data that was held on the GMC’s website regarding IMG pass rates for CASC was analysed and discussed with RCPsych by Scottish Government to fully understand the difference in attainment for those from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Supervision of Trainees

Given the importance of supervision capacity for the effective delivery of training and issues identified in relation to this across all UK nations, the Group considered how capacity could be increased and high-quality clinical supervision delivered in the context of high consultant vacancies. Proposed options included:

• Having more than one trainee allocated to each clinical supervisor, with adjustments made to working schedules to accommodate this
• Utilising technology to deliver supervision remotely
• Allowing and encouraging experienced specialty doctors to provide supervision for Core Psychiatry trainees
• Using ‘retire and return’ schemes to encourage consultants to return and provide clinical supervision for a number of trainees
• Allowing and encouraging long-term locum consultants to act as clinical supervisors
• Considering how to support senior staff to improve the provision and standard of supervision.

The RCPsych Recognition and Approval of Trainers guidance was explored by the Working Group in relation to this issue, in conjunction with RCPsych representatives. The purpose of the document is to clarify guidance surrounding supervision for trainees. This approach is supported by the GMC and would sit within the Psychiatry ‘Silver Guide’ as part of quality assurance in training. The aim of the guidance is to enable employers and education providers across the UK to ensure a standardised approach to supervision and training, and to ensure that curricula requirements can be delivered and met. This updated guidance was developed in line with relevant quality assurance processes. While further work is needed on this, the College will continue to maintain high standards for supervisor recognition with local allowances where required. This guidance is ultimately for NHS Boards to implement.

In terms of progress in relation to these issues, NES noted that:

• A level of supervision can be delivered online
• Foundation Trainees can be supervised by senior nursing colleagues, with Psychiatry being the only specialty with this clearance
• With regards to Educational Supervisors, a pragmatic approach is being taken to allow returners, and potentially long-term locums, to provide educational supervision (but ongoing monitoring of any potential unintended consequences on locum use should be done)
• Consideration needs to be given to ensuring job plans reflect the growing supervision demands being placed on supervisors (e.g. increasing numbers of trainees per supervisor).

Actions in Progress / Next Steps

The Group discussed a number of other actions in relation to these issues that were either partially or not implemented at the time. Some require further evaluation, exploration, development or feasibility-assessment. The sequencing of these also requires further planning. They can be found in Annex A.

Phase 2: Recruitment and Retention – improvements already underway

Psychiatry Webpages

The Group worked with both NES and Scottish Government officials to enhance the user experience on the NHS Scotland psychiatry webpages and ensure the information was current, accurate, and user-friendly. This included feedback from members and a focused workshop to; identify the audience, decide on the content to meet user needs, define an objective, and set goals to measure ongoing performance.

The aim of the updates is to attract high-quality traffic to the 'psychiatry jobs' web pages, to increase engagement, professional connections, and job applications. NES will continue to work closely with partner organisations, including the RCPsychiS, the Scottish Government, the CWS, Scotland Deanery, medical schools, and Health Boards to deliver ongoing improvements.

Work is ongoing and will include:

• an updated campaign landing page
• information about core and higher training, including application deadlines
• signposting to relevant stakeholder websites
• links to case studies that share the experiences of resident doctors, consultants, SAS doctors, and medical school students
• a lead generation process to capture interest in job opportunities in Scotland and increase professional connections
• the production of two case studies about Higher Specialty Trainees.

The Group expects that the webpages will continue to be developed and refreshed ensuring that the information provided remains up to date and accurate.

RCPsych International Congress Event

As part of ongoing ambitions to attract psychiatrists to Scotland, the Scottish Government worked alongside the SMMPG and RCPsychiS to coordinate and support the delivery of a stand at the Royal College of Psychiatrists International Congress event in both 2023 and 2024. The Scottish Government also provided funding to ensure that NHS Scotland was represented at the International Congress in Edinburgh in June 2024.

This work was coordinated by Scottish Government officials and supported by a task and finish group. The SMMPG and the College were involved in the planning for the event and manning the stand during the congress. The Group recognise and would like to express their thanks to the SMMPG and the volunteers for their continued support and dedication in making the stand a success.

The feedback from the 2024 event was positive and the stand won two awards ‘most creative use of shell scheme’ and ‘best sustainable stand solutions’. As part of the event, 78 leads were captured as part of this engagement.

The Group recommends that there is an ongoing commitment from Scottish Government, NES and CWS to support future events.

Centre for Workforce Supply (CWS): International Recruitment

Within NES, the CWS has worked with several Health Boards to provide direct support to help in tackling long standing vacancies and reduce reliance on locums. CWS has also worked with Boards and Scottish Government to explore the different forms of international recruitment for medical professions, with an initial focus on psychiatry.

It has been highlighted that international recruitment could be used as part of a suite of interventions to tackle long standing vacancies and reduce the reliance on locums. CWS is assisting Health Boards in a variety of ways including sourcing and analysis of workforce data, drafting information to support business case development, liaising with specialist recruitment agencies, and taking forward internal discussions with NES colleagues around national support that could assist with the induction and development of internationally recruited doctors.

Psychiatry Recruitment and Attraction Support HUB

To support and enable Health Boards to attract and recruit candidates to vacant psychiatry positions, the Centre for Workforce Supply have coordinated a national project to develop a Psychiatry Recruitment and Attraction Support Hub, providing a recognisable identity for Psychiatry roles in Scotland.

The overarching objective of this new resource is to support Health Boards across the service in Scotland using high quality assets and specialty specific resources to promote psychiatry careers in Scotland. This will allow a competitive edge and level of differentiation whilst promoting psychiatry as an attractive career in Scotland to a global audience.

The Psychiatry Recruitment and Attraction Support Hub resources are live, hosted on the Centre for Workforce Supply Resource Hub on TURAS and include the following:

• Psychiatry Attraction in Scotland Toolkit
• Medical Workforce Recruitment and Retention Guide
• Case Studies and Testimonials
• Recruitment and Attraction Key Messages

The Group developed a series of recommendations that support the continued and ongoing support of CWS in supporting Health Boards in the recruitment of psychiatrists.

Mental Health Workforce Data

As outlined earlier in this report, mental health workforce statistics, including for psychiatry consultants are published quarterly by NES. The Group reported the official psychiatry workforce statistics do not fully reflect the true state of vacancy rates across NHS Scotland Health Boards. The ‘State of the Nation’ recommended that Scottish Government and NES ensure the consistent data collection and recording of workforce data. Ensuring that data can be broken down by speciality and region to enable more accurate workforce planning.

It is noted that the reporting of vacancies is currently defined as, ‘a post which has been cleared for advert after being through the redeployment process (internal or external advert) and remains a vacancy until an individual starts in the post’.

The Group recommends that Scottish Government and NES should work to improve data and record workforce data through use of WTE figures and record locum posts as vacancies. Ensuring that data can be broken down by speciality and region to reference trends.

Scottish Government position:

As part of wider work already underway and as committed via the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan (November 2023), Scottish Government is funding NES to improve the data collected and published on the mental health workforce, including on psychiatrists. The aim of this work is to also improve the equalities data collected and ultimately bring together all mental health workforce data into a single publication. At this stage, it is known that this project will be a longer-term area of work given the necessary stages required and collaboration and engagement required from Health Boards.

Conclusion

The recruitment and retention issues outlined in this section of the report provides a summary of the discussions and evidence considered by the Group on these issues. This resulted in agreement to provide a series of recommendations in Annex A.