More than 650 members of staff at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust took at least 1 day off work last year due to their mental health, new data has revealed.
Figures obtained by Legal Expert found that Isle of Wight NHS Trust saw 658 staff members take absence in 2023/24 due to mental health reasons, representing a rising figure.
In 2021/22, the number of staff at the Trust who took a day off for mental health reasons stood at 495. A year later, this number increased to 573.
The past year has seen another rise in staff absences due to mental health issues, standing at 658 – a near 15% rise year-on-year.
The news comes amidst growing pressures on the NHS as well as Government funding cuts.
Earlier this year it was announced that Government funding ended for a national network of mental health and wellbeing hubs that were established in 2020-21 to support NHS frontline workers during the pandemic. These hubs served as a vital lifeline for a workforce in crisis, and closures across the support network have led to the number of staff absences due to mental health reasons rising year on year.
Nationally, NHS England data shows that pressures inside the NHS have become so severe that the equivalent of a week off work was taken by every single one of the health service’s 350,000 nurses last year due to stress, anxiety and depression.
A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has told Island Echo:
“The wellbeing of our staff is very important to us and this report does not give an accurate picture or comparison. During this period Isle of Wight NHS Trust was the only integrated acute, ambulance and community, mental health and learning disabilities team in the country, figures from other trusts were for their acute workforce.
“For our acute workforce, the number is notably less – an average of 408 people or 15.5%. We are very proud of our team and during this period they dealt with the impact of the pandemic as well as significant periods of change. Time taken off work for anxiety, stress and/or depression may not always be work-related and can be because of personal challenges including bereavement.
“We support our people to take the time required to recover, whether that is to support their mental or physical health needs. We have a number of assistance schemes and initiatives in place to support our staff including a care ambassador programme, an employee assistance programme with access to counselling services and wellbeing support, a listening ear service, pastoral and chaplaincy support as well as occupational health”.
I do wonder what the statistics would be if they didn’t get full sick pay….
They would be the healthiest bunch.
They get
Excellent pay.
Excellent pension
Excellent Sick pay
No to mention all the deals and offers NHS staff get from
many Companies.
EG 10% off shopping etc, some Companies give them 20%
They have it good.
They have no reason to go sick, think of private
paid workers, many of whom only get paid SSP
when they go off sick, hence going to work when
they are really sick.
CANCEL SICK PAY AND ONLY PAY THEM SSP!
This Labour Government said they need to save money
Start with the staff the Government employ.
I have known for years the NHS employ
Shirkers, not workers.
Cancel full sick pay and just pay SSP
then see how quickly they recover.
Also for days they are off sick throughout their career
reduce their pension.
That is the problem with many Government employees
they employ a load of lazy B’stards.
Private Companies wouldn’t keep paying them.
Look how many of them are still working, oops
I mean shirking from home.
I wonder how many NHS employees are still working from?
Also how many of these Sicknotes are local employees,
I bet the employees from other countries who work for the
NHS don’t often go off sick.
Employ more overseas staff is the answer, they are more
reliable.
How many of those sick days were actually work related as opposed to having a long weekend, how many sought help from the NHS support teams, very few I bet.
This current Government keel saying that the country
needs to make savings and that the NHS is struggling.
Why don’t this good for nothing Government do something
about it then.
Rather than take away the pensioners winter fuel allowance,
abolish NHS Sick pay and pay just statutory sick pay.
They would save Billions of Pounds and would not have to
pick on innocent pensioners who have worked hard all their
lives.
I have no time for any Government run organisation, they are all
run by clueless persons.
ABOLISH SICK PAY
Don’t forget to factor in xmas shopping….
I wonder how many of the shirkers actually
go on holiday whilst off sick.
The NHS is a joke, funded by us tax payers,
the Labour Government are increasing taxes
etc to pump money into a falling apart service.
The NHS (No Hope Service) is finished
Stop paying ridiculous Bank Nurse Rates and
remove full sick pay, just pay std SSP daily rate
That is good for us tax payers mental health.
Majority of the sickness time is probably where
they are off getting their Tatts.
NHS staff of today are not like the NHS staff of
yesterday.
Bring back the old NHS and the Matrons, patients
don’t want to be looking at a bunch of Tatts all day,
what a frightening thought for any patient to suffer.