asked the Minister for Health in relation to psychological services (a) the number of psychologists employed under health service funding (i) directly by health boards and (ii) by voluntary agencies (b) the numbers in each grade and (c) their deployment by health board, community care area and by function, that is, whether primarily to work with mental health, children or generic workload.
Written Answers. - Psychological Services.
58.
On 30 June 1987 the number of psychologists employed under health service funding was 94. Of that number 36 psychologists were employed directly by health boards. The remaining 58 psychologists were mainly employed by voluntary agencies such as mental handicap homes and voluntary hospitals.
The number in each grade on 30 June was as follows: Principal Psychologists, 3; Senior Psychologists, 45; Psychologists, 46.
The trend towards employing more psychologists in the community care area provides a changing pattern and precise information for a particular point in time is not readily available centrally. It would not be practicable for my Department to keep an on going record of all changes in the deployment of staff by the health boards, community care area and by function.