More staff needed to work at county’s mental health trust

Vacancies at NHFT are above ten percent says latest board report

By Sarah Ward

NHFT runs a number of health services across the county

The county’s mental health provider is struggling to get enough staff to fill all its vacancies according to the latest data.

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust had 484 vacancies in its workforce at the end of July, the equivalent of just over 11 per cent of its workforce.

A report that went to the board last Thursday (September 30) said the situation is a risk for the organisation, which is rated as outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. 

The vacancy rate shot up from 288 vacancies at the end of April to 432 in May, after the trust had additional funding pumped into its adult mental health and learning disability service, in response to the Covid pandemic and its impact on mental wellbeing.

But the report shows that the staffing effect of this funding will not be immediate as the vacancy rate in this department is the highest (at 14 percent ).

The sickness rate among the workforce is also above target with…