NHS work days lost 'significant'

The report said sickness rate targets should be scrapped

NHS staff sickness in Wales is still a "significant problem" despite recent improvements, a report by the financial watchdog says.

Since April 2004, sickness absence rates averaged around 14 working days per year for an NHS trust employee.

This is a reduction from 2002-03 when rates averaged at just over 15-and-a-half working days per year.

Auditor General Jeremy Colman said some hospital trusts needed to improve occupational health services for staff.

His report estimated NHS trusts have saved at least £6m per year in staff time cost by the improvements they have made at reducing the time staff are away from work over the last four years.

Sickness is not one issue, it's lots of different things going on and each one of these things needs to be looked at Gareth Phillips, Royal College of Nursing

The Welsh Assembly Government has set NHS trusts in Wales a sickness absence rate target of 4.2%.

In 2002-03, the average sickness absence rate was 6% but since April 2004 it has fallen to no more than 5.4%.

However, the rate varies greatly between the organisations, with some as low as 4.1% and others up to 7%.

The report argued the idea of a target should be scrapped and replaced by a "smarter approach" to centre on continuous improvement, while taking account of each organisation's circumstances.

It said an issue that was raised in a report in 2004, the need to improve occupational health services for NHS staff, was still a concern at some hospital trusts.

SICKNESS ABSENCE NHS trusts in Wales - 14 days NHS boards in Scotland - 13.8 days NHS in Northern Ireland - 15.6 UK civill service - 9.3 days Manufacturing - 7.2 days Public sector - 9.8 days Average working days lost. Source: Wales Audit Office - Managing Sickness Absence

Under plans announced last year, all of the NHS trusts in Wales and the 22 local health boards (LHBs) are to be scrapped with around seven health organisations taking over all their responsibilities.

Mr Colman said: "NHS trusts in Wales have made some good progress in tackling the continued problem of sickness absence rates but the figures are still too high.

"The new NHS bodies that emerge following reorganisation later this year need to embed good practice within their organisational culture, management structures and policies with the help of clear guidance from the assembly government."

'Innovative'

Gareth Phillips, chair of the Royal College of Nursing's Welsh board, said more work needed to be done to increase occupational health services for NHS staff, address their work-life balance through more flexible working, as well as reasonable adjustment of their duties.

He said: "Sickness is not one issue, it's lots of different things going on and each one of these things needs to be looked at."

Mike Ponton, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the report showed trusts' "hard work is paying off".

He said: "[Human resources] departments have introduced innovative ways of addressing particular problem areas, such as employee wellbeing services that help to tackle the problem of stress-related absence.

"It is important to recognise that health service employees work in an environment where they daily come into contact with patients carrying infections and viruses, which greatly increases the chance of higher sickness levels."