Mental Health Officers time series


25 Sep 2024

This page provides MHO workforce data for the full period for which data is available, as follows:

  • Filled MHO posts, headcount and contracted Whole Time Equivalent (WTE): 2006 - 2023
  • Cover MHOs: 2014 - 2023
  • Age and gender of the MHO workforce: 2007 - 2023
  • Ethnicity of the MHO workforce: 2008 - 2023
  • MHO trainees: 2008/09 - 2023/2024
  • MHO leavers: 2009 - 2023
  • MHO vacancies & shortfalls: 2006 - 2023
  • Proportion of Social Workers who are MHOs: 2014 - 2023
  • MHOs by type of Specialist Team: 2005 - 2023
  • MHOs in Mental Health Teams: 2005 - 2023
  • MHOs in Non-Mental Health Teams: 2005 - 2023
  • Exclusive MHO positions: 2006 - 2023
  • Filled MHO posts, hours on MHO work and hours on MHO work per 100,000 population by local authority: 2016 to 2023
  • Filled MHO posts, contracted hours, hours on MHO work and percentage MHO work hours of contracted hours by local authority: 2016 (dropped from the 2017 report) 
  • MHO WTE rates per 100,000 population, 2005 - 2016 (dropped from the 2017 report) 
  • MHO work: 2005 - 2015 (MHO work was dropped from the 2016 report)
  • Filled MHO posts, contracted WTE and weekly hours on MHO work by MHO type and team type: 2016 (dropped from the 2017 report) 
  • Filled MHO posts, full contracted Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) and WTE per 100k population by local authority: 2006 - 2016 (dropped from the 2017 report)

The data on the MHO workforce collected by the Scottish Government from 2005 to March 2012, and subsequently by the SSSC from December 2012 to date is shown in the tables below.

Individual tables are available for download below in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods) format. In addition, the data tables are available in non-proprietary Comma Separated Values (CSV) format in a compressed ZIP file. The provision of the data in these formats is intended to facilitate its analysis and re-use. 

Description Type  
All tables and charts Excel  Excel  Download
All tables and charts ODS  ODS  Download

If you have any enquiries about these tables, please contact:

Zara Gall
Tel: 01382 723657
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.