New research carried out by personal injury experts at Claims.co.uk has examined data from NHS England to determine the most common causes of all NHS staff absences from December 2023 and found psychiatric illnesses are the leading cause of employees missing work.
Responsible for 25.6% of staff absence, psychiatric illnesses range from anxiety to stress to depression.
According to Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, one in four people experience mental health issues each year in the UK, and 792 million people are affected by bad mental health worldwide. Mental illness is the second-largest source of disease in England. It is undoubtedly affecting NHS staff due to the high strain of demand and pressure of their intense and sometimes traumatic working environment.
The second highest cause in this ranking was influenza, cold and cough, but at 15.3% this was far below mental health. Other significant issues leading to staff absenteeism on the chart are musculoskeletal problems (8.2%) and gastrointestinal problems (7.3%).
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Claims.co.uk says: “Working in the NHS can be a highly demanding job, and there is widespread workforce shortages and staff burnout due to the consistent pressure put upon them. There are not enough doctors and nurses in the UK to meet patients' demands, and this can take a toll on their health, especially mental health, as the data highlights.
“The NHS is one of the most important services across the nation; without it, the entire UK would struggle to get by. It is vital to remember that key workers also end up as patients at some point in their lives and their health is just as important as anyone else's.”
