NHS staff absence up in pandemic

THE number of hospital staff off sick with stress, anxiety or depression in Birmingham has rocketed during the pandemic.

Health bosses said they were aware of the impact the pandemic has had on workers and that support measures were in place to try to help them cope.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed a steady rise in absences for stress, anxiety or depression since 2018 at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust (UHB), which also runs Good Hope and Solihull hospitals, with numbers accelerating since the start of 2020.

Last month there were 646 staff off sick for these reasons. That compared to 439 in February 2020.

And the numbers are still continuing to rise ahead of what is expected to be an extremely challenging winter for the NHS. The total absent in September was the most at any point in the pandemic. There have been more than 2,800 Covid deaths at UHB hospitals.

A trust spokeswoman said: “We are aware that staff absences due to stress, anxiety and depression have increased, in particular during the last 12 to 18 months, largely due to the impact of the pandemic.

“In response to this, we have been working to implement a wide range of bespoke services to support specific groups of staff, as well as wider support across our organisation as a whole.

“These focus on wellbeing and early intervention, with signposting to support services such as wellbeing hubs, psychological first aid and counselling.

“The effect the pandemic has, and continues to have, on NHS staff cannot be underestimated and we whole heartedly thank them for their ongoing efforts.”