This ninth annual census undertaken by the Royal College of
Psychiatrists relates to psychiatric staffing in England, Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland as at 30 September 2000. This was the
second year using a new census database, which has provided
additional data relevant to psychiatry stemming from the
restructuring of training, the introduction and tracking of
National Training Numbers (NTNs), Certificates of Completion of
Specialist Training (CCSTs) and the requirements of the successor
to the NHS Executives’ Specialist Workforce Advisory Group (SWAG),
the Workforce Numbers Advisory Board. Additional resources have
been put in to enable meticulous checking of the data and we have
taken steps to try and ensure that the College list of employing
authorities matches that held at the Department of Health of all
trusts with psychiatric staff.
This year, more information is included about CCSTs, the
breakdown of those specialist registrars seeking dual accreditation
and also the projected CCST completion dates. More comparative data
have been provided giving a historical perspective from 1995
onwards. The census forms have also been included for
information.
The census remains the most accurate picture we have of
psychiatric staffing in the UK and is increasingly used as the most
authoritative database in all relevant negotiations with the
Department of Health when negotiating for increases in the
psychiatric workforce at any level