A Very Unhealthy Picture Is Revealed Regarding NHS Employee Absenteeism Statistics, Employee Time Tracking Shows A Common Pattern Emerging.

The NHS have revealed very poorly staff & employee attendance levels throughout it’s workforce, employee time tracking shows routine absenteeism is standard practise throughout the organisation. The entire workforce from Doctors to Porters show a reluctance to put in a full weeks work.

By Caroline White – Tuesday, 23 July 2013

NHS workers in England took an estimated 9.5 working days off sick last year, show the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).

This equivalent figure in 2011-12 was 9.3 and 9.9 in 2009-10, the first year of reporting. But some staff groups have more days off sick than others, the figures show.

The findings, which cover about 1.05 million full time equivalent workers in the English NHS, excluding GPs and practice staff, are based on employee time tracking and applying the measured sickness absence rate to an assumed full time working pattern of 225 days a year.

These calculations show that ambulance staff took the most time off, clocking up 14.7 days in 2012-13, compared with 13.9 in 2011-12 and 14.4 in 2009-10.

Hospital doctors took the least time off sick, averaging 2.8 days, compared with 2.7 days in 2011-12 and 2009-10.

Nursing, midwifery, and health visiting staff took an average of 10.6 days in sick leave last year compared with 10.2 in 2011-12 and 10.9 in 2009-10.

Support and admin staff, which includes clerical, estates, and managerial staff, took an average of 8.4 days in sick leave, compared with 8.2 in 2011-12 and 8.8 in 2009-10.

The figures show that 4.24% of NHS staff were ill on any one day average day, compared with 4.12% in 2011-12 and 4.40% in 2009-10.

Some 6.55% of qualified ambulance staff were ill on an average day—the highest rate of any staff group, and the highest rate since 2009-10, when the equivalent figure reached 6.38%

Just 1.25% of hospital doctors were ill on an average day—the lowest rate of any staff group, but a rise on figures for the previous two years (1.19% in 2011-12 and 1.21% in 2009-10).

Regionally, sickness absence rates were highest in the North East where 4.74% of staff were ill on an average day, compared with 4.55% in 2011-12 and 4.98% in 2009-10. The lowest rate was in London at 3.52%, compared with 3.51% in 2011-12 and 3.64% in 2009-10.

Sickness absence was highest among the lowest paid. Six per cent of staff within the second lowest pay band (Agenda for Change Band 2) were ill on an average day– the highest rate of any pay band. The lowest rate was in the highest pay band (Band 9), with 1.22% ill on an average day.

Commenting on the figures, Sue Covill, director of employment services at the NHS Employers organisation, said that the protracted winter, organisational restructuring, and “challenging expectations” had all taken their toll, and were reflected in some of the figures published today.

Originally from : http://www.onmedica.com/NewsArticle.aspx?id=f0ae6800-162d-4020-805d-08c88e294c5d.

Summary: These are shocking figures , and show the NHS is probably a very stressful or unfulfilling place to work in this day and age.  An employee time tracking software system is of great benefit where the workforce has a workshy attitude, and the option to phone in sick is the easy choice. Poor discipline is usually to blame, and there are probably plenty of employees willing to cover a shift if someone has not turned up.  Overtime within the NHS is probably a very important wage booster for the staff at the lower end of the pay scale.