Ms Yvonne O'Neill:

Reference was made to page 43 of the documentation provided. It shows that the current number of whole-time equivalents, WTEs, in post. In addition, we have approved funding for the unfilled posts which we have clarified is ring-fenced. When we receive programme for Government funding for expanded teams, we recruit personnel for the teams and the money remains ring-fenced. If the additional funding available for posts was added, the number would probably go up by another 5% across the teams. There are approximately 300 to 500 unfilled posts. We do not need funding, we just need to recruit people.

In our calculation, we noted that the number of staff paid for through agencies are not reflected in the WTE numbers, but they are equivalent to in the region of another 1,000 WTEs. That is across all services, including community, acute and inpatient provision. There are 9,500 WTEs currently in place and the adjusted population calculator in A Vision for Change stated that we need approximately 12,500. Posts funded by agency add another 1,000. We are actually at about 11,000 in terms of the numbers in A Vision for Change. The Deputy is correct: all of that should be put together and gaps determined. To be fair, that is the level of analysis and work we are doing around improvement projects.