Buckinghamshire Council Staff Took Nearly 9,000 Mental Health Sick Days

Staff members at a local council have accumulated almost 9,000 sick days due to mental health-related absences over the past year. A recent report revealed that employees at Buckinghamshire Council accounted for 8,759 days of long-term absence for mental health issues. Musculoskeletal problems represented the second most frequent cause of absence. This report was presented to the council, which employs 4,441 individuals, during a finance and resources select committee meeting held on Thursday. Conservative councillor Michael Bracken expressed concern, stating: “It just bothers me that we are still in a position where our sickness levels are as high as they are.” The report detailed data spanning the year up to September 30, defining a long-term absence as 28 calendar days or more. In September alone, 451 employee sickness absences were documented, with 71 of these classified as long-term. Despite this, the council indicated a decline in absences following a peak observed in July. Mr. Bracken further commented: “I accept that the unitary council benchmark’s may be even worse than us, but I don’t take great comfort from that. I would expect our council to operate at the better end.” The data also indicated a total of 8,682 days lost in October 2023, with a peak of 9,648 days lost recorded in June 2024. To address the issue of absence, the authority has implemented several strategies. These include providing training for managers to “give them the confidence to take early interventions with attendance issues” and conducting “health and attendance surgeries” to offer additional support to managers.