NHS staff on long-term sick get more occupational health support

Occupational health services for NHS staff are helping to drive down sickness absence – but more long-term absent staff are suffering depression.

Around 30% of staff off sick waited at least 12 weeks before an occupational health assessment – and 5% more than six months.

But the second round of the national clinical audit of occupational health (OH) care on depression detection and management of staff on long-term sickness absence in England demonstrates that higher quality care is now being delivered, the report says. It was commissioned by NHS Plus and conducted by the Health and Work Development Unit (HWDU) at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

The audit found that more than 97% of the 7,636 case notes audited contained an action plan - a vital step towards ensuring an earlier return to work.

Between April and June 2010, the average sickness absence rate for the NHS in England was 3.89%.

In 2008, 58% of cases involved depression. This rose to 67% by 2010.