At the end of the census questionnaire, respondents were asked for any general comments relating to their submission. They were also asked if they are “over-established” at any AfC bands. Twenty-six respondents made comments, and themes mentioned by two or more respondents are listed below with an illustrative comment:

• Service is over-established (10 respondents) “Over-established at band 6 due to internal secondment to cover maternity leave”
• Struggle to cover maternity leave (3 respondents) “We struggle to backfill maternity leave as our Trust provides a percentage of the WTE role.”
• Recruitment is challenging (2 respondents) “Recruitment to higher level positions remains very challenging, able to recruit at graduate level, but then mostly need 'grow your own' strategy for more advanced roles.”
• Finding time for CPD is difficult (2 respondents) “Low overall staffing numbers for size of centre make time for CPD difficult.”
• Understaffed (2 respondents) “Currently staffed to 67% of 2005 national guidance. Staffing is very challenging and is on the risk register as a high risk.”