862 nurses off with stress in past 18 months

Published on Monday 8 March 2010 08:56

MORE than 850 nurses have been off work because of stress and depression in the past 18 months across the Lothians, it has emerged.

It means that one in ten of all absences in nursing and midwifery departments are down to "psychological factors", more than most other areas of the health service.

The statistics, released under Freedom of Information, show that 862 nurses and midwives were off because of stress, depression or anxiety-related illnesses.

&#149 Should more be done to tackle stress among those in the nursing profession? Vote here

In comparison, among hospital bosses, only two per cent of absences were deemed psychological.

Lynn McDowall, Lothians officer for RCN Scotland, said the figures were of concern.

"Being a nurse anywhere in Scotland – including the Lothians – can be a highly stressful job.

"Working long hours delivering care on the frontline can be exhausting, and in some situations, particularly in departments like accident and emergency, it can be very distressing.

"All of this takes its toll, so it is critical that staff who are experiencing difficulties get the support they need from their employer."

A source at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary said it was evident that nurses and midwifes were under more pressure than most.

He said: "It's an intense environment and you can see quite clearly many of them at their work are constantly operating at full pelt."

Despite the high number of stress absences, staff sickness as a whole across the health board is moving in the right direction.

Director of human resources Alan Boyter has brought in a series of changes to better record why workers are off sick and worked closely with managers to identify more problem areas.

As a result the overall sickness level is sitting at just more than four per cent, and on target to meet Scottish Government aims on employee absence.

Melanie Hornett, nurse director for NHS Lothian, said: "We take the health and wellbeing of our staff very seriously.

"Our nursing and midwifery teams do a fantastic job in what can often be difficult and demanding circumstances.

"We have a wide range of support services available to help manage stress, This includes rigorous risk assessment for individual roles, a dedicated counselling service and training programmes for managers and staff."