Appendix

 

Staffing matters; funding counts used data from the annual NHS Non-medical workforce census as the basis for analysis of workforce trends because that provided the most complete long-term data then available. However, since 2009 the electronic staff record (ESR) system has been the main source of information on the NHS workforce in England. Comparing data on hospital and community health services (HCHS) doctors, nurses, health visitors and midwives from the two sources (Figures A and B) shows that, although the trends are broadly similar, there are significant differences in the numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in post in September each year between the two sources of data – the census count is substantially larger than the equivalent month of ESR data.

The NHS Non-medical workforce census ceased in September 2014. This report therefore uses the ESR monthly workforce statistics as the basis for analysis and presents trend data from October 2014 onwards. Since 2015, NHS Digital has made further changes to the published data. These are set out in detail in the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s statistical change notice published in March 2016. An equivalent statistical change notice has been issued relating to primary care workforce data.

Figure A: Number of hospital and community health services doctors in NHS employment (FTE), 2009–16

Source: NHS Digital, NHS non-medical workforce census, 2009–2014 and NHS Digital, NHS hospital and community health service (HCHS) monthly workforce.

Figure B: Number of nurses, health visitors and midwives in NHS employment (FTE), 2009–16

Source: NHS Digital, NHS non-medical workforce census, 2009–2014 and NHS Digital, NHS hospital and community health service (HCHS) monthly workforce.

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