Cycle of sickness can spiral out of control

Acycle of sickness and absenteeism seems to have NHS Tayside firmly in its grip. Almost half a million hours were lost to long-term conditions last year at a time when the organisation needs to be operating at its absolute capacity.

That much of the absence was due to mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and stress is unsurprising in a public body facing pressure on a scale, arguably, never seen before.

Budgets are being squeezed, vacancies are going unfilled and the bean counters are firmly in control.

Burn-out has become an occupational hazard and boards such as NHS Tayside have little option but to turn to expensive agency staff to cover for sick colleagues. And so the downward spiral continues.

Devolved Scotland seems to be coping better than its neighbouring NHS Trusts in England but it remains to be seen whether the Scottish Government can stave off the full-blown crisis which is threatening to engulf the health service south of the border. It is not only the health service. As local authorities seek increasingly creative ways to save cash, council staff can expect to have more demands placed upon them. It is not hard to envisage the consequences.

It is all very well balancing the books but the human cost must always be borne in mind.