ARRS workforce numbers drop, official figures show

We take a look at the quarterly primary care workforce figures, which combine the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) submissions and the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) claims data to give a picture of ARRS PCN staff across England.

The number of staff employed through the ARRS scheme has fallen over the past six months, according to quarterly figures from NHS England.

There were 36,862 staff working through ARRS as of 30 September 2024, compared to 37,294 at the end of March.

The most popular roles continue to be pharmacists, with 7,220 employed in September, care coordinators (6,952) and social prescribing link workers (3,587).

However, the biggest drop over this period was also seen in care coordinators and pharmacists, with 722 and 520 fewer employees respectively in September than in March 2024.

Physician associates (PAs), which are the seventh most popular role according to these statistics, also fell by 17 over the six-month period.

Pulse PCN has previously reported on the monthly statistics, which are a snapshot from the NWRS alone, whereas the quarterly figures contain ARRS claims portal data as well as NWRS figures, therefore providing a fuller picture of the workforce.

It comes as almost half of PCNs have given their ARRS staff a pay rise of at least 5.5% since April this year, according to a Pulse PCN survey.