94,000 Civil Service work days lost in year due to mental illness

THOUSANDS of civil servants took sick leave last year because of mental health issues, it has been revealed.

Figures obtained using Freedom of Information by the BBC’s Stephen Nolan Show for 2015/16 show more than 2,000 staff took sick leave due to this reason.

One department had some 715 members of staff absent.

In total, more that 94,000 working days were lost due to mental illness.

The former Department for Social Development had the highest number of absentees, with mental health-related illness — classed as anxiety/ stress/depression/other psychiatric illnesses.

The next highest sick leave figures were recorded in the Department of Justice (378) and then the Department of Finance and Personnel (231).

Bumper Graham from public service union Nipsa said he was not surprised by the figures, adding it is for “simple reasons”.

“We have seen massive loss of jobs in the Civil Service and that means those left behind are having to do a lot more extra work in very difficult situations,” he said.

“We have seen constant attacks on public servants from the Executive and Westminster and therefore they are feeling undervalued.

“They are demoralised and they are overburdened.

“And the things the management side have done are trying to treat people after they have been identified as having men tal health issues, whereas we want to get the management side across the table and discuss how we prevent such illnesses arising.”

Last September it emerged that Civil Service staff in Northern Ireland were off sick for an average of 11.7 days in the previous year — an increase from 10.8 days the year before.

The figure is above the annual target of 8.5 days, and equated to an estimated £32.7m of lost production.

Half of staff had no recorded absence while more than one in 10 had at least one long-term absence lasting an average of nearly three months.

This was the highest incidence of long-term absence in the last five years. It accounted for nearly three-quarters of all working days lost.