Stress-related sick days rise by 70 per cent in East of England public sector

The BBC reports that The number of days lost through stress-related sickness has risen by 70% among East of England public sector workers over five years, the BBC has found. The days lost through sickness are costing public services millions of pounds a year. Unions have said that public sector cuts, which have led to thousands of job losses, are part of the reason for the increase.

The BBC has analysed more than 100 Freedom of Information Act responses from police forces, councils, hospital trusts and fire and ambulance services in eight counties across the East of England.

The survey of police forces found increases in stress-related absences in 2013 compared to 2009 in Northamptonshire (143 per cent up), Essex (128 per cent), Bedfordshire (108 per cent) and Thames Valley (17 per cent).