§ Mr. HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days off work have been taken by NHS employees each year since 1990 owing to sickness; how much this time off has cost the NHS; how many days off work have been taken by NHS employees each year since 1990 owing to stress; how much this time off has cost the NHS; what assessment he has made of stress levels among staff in the NHS; what proposals he has to reduce stress levels among NHS staff; and if he will make a statement. [97116]
§ Mr. DenhamAccording to a survey conducted by the Department in 1998–99 the average sickness absence rate for staff directly employed by National Health Service trusts was 4.6 per cent. This is equivalent to approximately 8 million out of the 176 million days worked each year by National Health Service staff. Details of the survey can be found in Health Service Circular 1999/229: 'Managing Violence, Accidents and Sickness Absence in the NHS' copies of which are available in the Library. Similar information for earlier years, and information about the overall cost and causes of sick leave, is not collected centrally, but may be held locally by individual National Health Service employers. We have agreed improvement targets for health authorities and NHS trusts to 'achieve year on year improvement in sickness absence rates' of 20 per cent. by 2001 and 30 per cent. by 2003.
The management of sickness absence in the National Health Service is being monitored by the Department's Public Sector Productivity Panel. The aim is to identify the most efficient and effective ways to secure a successful approach to improving attendance in the NHS. The project will report in February 2000.
The report of the Partnership for the Health of the National Health Service Workforce, chaired by the Nuffield Trust, identified that 10,000 working days are lost each year through medically certified mental illness, including stress related illness, in the NHS. The NHS 353W Executive has issued a range of guidance aimed at improving the quality of working life for staff, including tackling violence, the provision of counselling services, improved health and safety and access to occupational health services.