NHS urged to curb staff sickness

World International

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The NHS should be doing more to tackle staff sickness and promote workplace health, a think tank says.

Reform, a right-of-centre group, said the health service was "shooting itself in the foot" by not making more use of the expertise it has in its workforce.

Figures show NHS staff take on average nearly 12 days off sick a year, while the rate is 7.2 in the private sector.

Unions said services could be improved, but there were valid reasons why NHS workers took more time off.

A spokeswoman for Unison said: "Occupational health is certainly lacking in places, but the NHS is a unique workplace.

Apparently we are all stressed and feel overstretched and unable to do our jobs properly.

I wonder why :banghead:? (sarcasm :coollook:)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7968723.stm

I think we are lucky in the NHS and the "benefits" are one reason why we are prepared to accept the not so good pay over the better pay in the private sector. I was offered a job paying almost £5000 a year more in the private sector, and while it is nowhere near as draconian as the US system the fact that I wouldn't be paid if sick (or it was at your managers disgression how much and how long you would be paid) - and I'm someone who very rarely goes off sick - was one reason I turned it down.

The end result of the paid sickness leave is that the well staff get brought in on their days off and holidays to cover. So the non-sick staff maintain the department staffing levels which leads to lower moral and long term sickness, even cessation.

Great system.

Though well staff have a choice whether they come in or not, indeed the extra money can be very welcome, though personally speaking I prefer to take my days off so rarely work over my hours. More fool them who come into work on days off when they don't need the money.

The problem with no paid sickness, which would reduce morale far more than paid sickness ever has, is that those who are genuinely sick suffer for it. It is a wonderful system where someone can be diagnosed with cancer one day, and then be told that on top of that, they're not going to get paid any more if they take time off.

It maybe foolish but leaving a department dangerously understaffed is something some people cannot do (not having a dig there I don't always go in).

We also get a ridiculous amount of paid holiday.

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Staff may have the choice whether to work extra shifts and I used to do a lot as I knew management would not be able to get staff to work on my unit, for some reason many hated working on the medical admission unit where I loved it, and I hated to think the unit would be short staffed. However I didn't go over board with the shifts and really only did it on my nights off or on AL and generally no more than 2 days

I lost track f the amount of forms we used to fill in on staff shortages to which management did nothing

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