According to figures obtained by BBC Wales, up to a third of NHS staff in Wales are suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric illnesses, resulting in sick leave. The number of stress-related absences increased by more than 60% over the course of four years, with numbers peaking at over 14,500 in 2021, following the pandemic. While rates of staff absence due to mental health issues are now falling, they still remain high, as fatigue continues to burden workers.
The six main health boards and the ambulance service in Wales all provided details to the freedom of information request, showing that up to 33% of all staff sickness is related to mental health conditions. Prior to the pandemic, about a quarter of absences were attributed to these psychiatric illnesses. Cardiff and Vale health board hit a 31% staff absence rate in both 2020 and 2021, while Aneurin Bevan health board reported that 33% of absences for three of the four past years were due to stress or anxiety.
Despite current rates of staff sickness being 6.4% lower than the previous year’s figures, statisticians issued a warning regarding the long-term decline of staff well-being in the NHS. Following the waves of Covid that erupted throughout the region, it peaked between 7.5% to 7.9% in the most infectious months. The Welsh government recognized the important role that staff play in ensuring that the health and care service continues to operate, with a spokesperson saying that support for health and social care staff is of utmost importance.
To this end, the Welsh government provides annual funding of £1.5 million to the Canopi service, which provides expert psychological assistance to all health and social care staff throughout Wales. The government has stated that it is working with NHS health boards, trusts, and trade unions to determine how best to provide targeted funding and services to supplement the support services offered by employers. In the meantime, staff remain responsible for delivering essential care to patients, and there are greater efforts being made to ensure that they receive the necessary mental and emotional support to continue to do so
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More