Responding to the latest NHS England staff sickness absence data, RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis, said:
"The level of pressure on nursing staff shows no sign of abating with the number of days lost to sickness amongst nursing staff remaining at similar levels to the height of the pandemic in January 2021. More than 100,000 days are still being lost to stress, anxiety and depression every month.
"As beds continue to be at capacity, A&E overflowing and waiting lists still at record levels there is little sign of respite for a nursing workforce carrying tens of thousands of nursing vacancies. Patient care is at risk.
"Ministers cannot ignore this any longer and have to invest in the nursing workforce that has endured a decade of real terms pay cuts. Thousands have left nursing in the last year alone. Nursing deserves better, and so do our patients."
Ends
Notes to Editors
- In April 2022, nurses and heath visitors monthly sickness absence full time equivalent days lost due to anxiety, stress, depression or psychiatric illness was 120,933. In January 2021, at the height of admissions for Covid-19, the total was 139,926.
- In April 2022, nurses and health visitors the monthly sickness absence rate was 6.34%, the figure for January 2021 was 6.73%.
- The data for a ‘typical April’ - April 2019 (before the Covid-19 pandemic) – the monthly sickness absence full time equivalent days lost due to anxiety, stress, depression, or psychiatric illness was 95,947 and the monthly sickness absence rate was 4.37%.
- All these figures were taken from the monthly NHS Digital Sickness Absence Rates, published today.
