Western Trust workforce grows by 917 (10%) in five years and is now up to 10,133

A further 224 doctors-in-training employed by the Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA) were based in the Western Trust at the end of March. When added to the 10,133 directly employed staff the total Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) head count in the local health authority rises to 10,357.

A breakdown of the 10,133, meanwhile, shows Registered Nursing & Midwifery accounted for the largest number of staff (3,098.4) followed by Administration & Clerical (1,775); Professional & Technical (1,490); Social Services excluding Domiciliary Care (1,468.4); Support Services (904.9); Nursing & Midwifery Support Staff (793.1); Medical & Dental (453); and Estate Services (150.2).

The Western Trust had the smallest Health and Social Care (HSC) workforce of all the health authorities with the exception of the Ambulance Service with a local headcount of 10,133 making up 15 per cent of the 65,984 staff across the whole of the North.

Nine per cent (453 staff) of the 4,985.8 medical and dental staff in the North were employed in the Western Trust.

And the local health authority employed 18 per cent (3,891.5) of the 22,172.2 nursing and midwifery staff across the North.

In terms of Professional & Technical staff the Western Trust employed 15 per cent (1,490) of a total WTE of 9,929.4.

The Western Trust was the smallest employer of Social Services staff, with 1,468.4 WTE (17 per cent of a total of 8,624.9).

Of 13,167.2 Administrative and Clerical staff across the North the Western Trust employed 1,775 (13 per cent).

And it employed 18 per cent (904.9) of the 5,061.9 Support Services staff in the HSC sector and 18 per cent (150.2) of the 817.5 Estate Services staff employed across the North.

The figures were outlined in the Department of Health’s NI Health and Social Care (HSC) Workforce Census for March 31, 2024.

The publication covers the majority of the HSC hospital, community and social services workforce (74,039 staff in post or 65,984 WTE).

97,738 inpatient admissions in the Western Trust, 21.3 per cent of all admissions in North