Poor conditions fuelling NHS sick leave
Poor conditions fuelling NHS sick leave
NHS Scotland statistics have revealed the overall time lost due to sickness absence in 2004 was 5.35 per cent, the highest in five years. Commenting on the latest figures, Glyn Hawker, UNISON's Scottish organiser for health, said NHS staff are experiencing high levels of sickness because of staff shortages and rising levels of abuse from patients. Last year, workers suffered an average of 84.9 injuries per million working hours, with nurses bearing the brunt, with 149 injuries per million hours. She called on the Scottish Executive to increase staff numbers, introduce more family-friendly working practices and extend levels of protection for workers. She added: 'To be tough on sickness, they will have to be tough on the causes of sickness, to coin a phrase. It is also going to be the case that absence levels in the NHS are going to be higher than the workforce at large because you don't want ill staff working with patients at risk of infection.' The Executive is calling for a 4 per cent drop in NHS sickness absence levels by April 2008, as part of an efficiency drive.
Stay Updated
Want to hear about our latest news and blogs?
Sign up now to get it straight to your inbox