NHS workers’ absence due to stress doubles in four years
SICKNESS absence because of stress, anxiety and other mental health reasons has rocketed in Scotland’s NHS amid growing concerns about the pressure on its workforce.
The amount of time overworked staff took off due to mental health issues in 2018-19 totals a shocking 3.5million working hours.
These absence rates have more than doubled in the past four years as hospitals toil under increasing demand and scarce resources.
The figures, disclosed by Labour at Holyrood yesterday, sparked claims that staff are being ‘let down’ by the Scottish Government.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: ‘NHS workers are the heart of our health service and they are being badly let down.
‘In the end, patients suffer too. The treatment time guarantee has been breached more than 230,000 times.
‘Last year, delayed discharges from hospital were up by 6 per cent and 20,000 more people
‘They are being badly let down’
were left waiting in accident and emergency f or more than four hours – that is up by 17 per cent.
‘The Scottish National Party has been running Scotland’s health service for more than 12 years. Today, the human cost for patients and NHS staff is plain to see.
‘That health crisis has blown up on the First Minister’s watch. It is her responsibility.’
The figures were released by the Scottish Government in response to a request under Freedom of I nf o r mation legislation.
They show that 3.51million working hours were lost to ‘sickness absence due to mental health-related reasons’ in 201819. This was up 10.4 per cent compared with the year before and 106 per cent higher than in 2015-16.
Overall, 14.2million hours were lost to sickness absence last year, around the same as in the previous year but 59 per cent higher than in 2015-16.
In its 2020 Workforce Vision document published in 2013, the Scottish Government said i t would make the health service ‘a great place to work’.
Miss Sturgeon said yesterday: ‘The NHS is an incredibly difficult place for staff to work in. I think that has always been the case but, as we see demand in our NHS rising, it is even more the case now.’
She highlighted a report by spending watchdog Audit Scotland which showed that the NHS is ‘seeing and treating more patients t han ever before’.
The report also warned that health boards are ‘ seriously struggling to become financially
‘The human cost is plain to see’
sustainable’, with bosses facing ‘significant’ problems.
It indicated four of the country’s 14 health boards are receiving emergency support after experiencing problems meeting financial and performance targets. Asked what she was going to do to tackle the staffing crisis, Miss Sturgeon said: ‘We will continue to support those who work in the NHS.
‘Sickness absence levels in the NHS fluctuate, but they have remained relatively stable in recent years.’
She added: ‘More people work in our NHS now than did when this government took office.
‘The Audit Scotland report also confirmed that, over the past ten years, the health budget has increased in real terms by 6 per cent.
‘Most of that increase has been in the past five years.’