Sickness Absence Update
Last updated: 18/09/2006 - 10:11
Two inter-related reports find Civil Service sickness absence falling by around one day per person in the past year - with more than 40% of public sector staff taking no sickness absence at all.
1: The 2005 edition of the Civil Service Sickness Absence Report has been issued by the Cabinet Office.
2: A year after the publication of the Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector study, ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Cabinet Office have published the Ministerial Task Force on Health Safety and Productivity One Year On Report.
This report provides a summary of progress against the key recommendations and actions called for by the Task Force. It includes examples of the approaches being adopted but these are necessarily only a snapshot of the actions in hand.
Its purpose is therefore to:
UK Minister For Health & Safety Lord Hunt is praising the fall in sickness absence rates in the Department for Work and Pensions - the largest in government - but warns management not to become complacent.
There was a reduction in sickness absence in 2004 across the whole of the Department, with theJobcentre Plus unit seeing a fall - from 12 to 9.8 days - the CSA (Child Support Agency) 13.8 to 11.6 days; and the Department's overall rate dropping, from 11.6 to 9.6.
"I am very encouraged by the progress the DWP has made in the past year," says Lord Hunt. "It is welcome news, and highlights the success of the work of the Ministerial Task Force on Health, Safety and Productivity. But, as the Minister who leads the Task Force, I want to make it absolutely clear that there is no room for complacency, and there is still more work to be done right across the public sector."
Lord Hunt also acted as chair of a Ministerial Task Force Stakeholder Summit reporting on progress since it published its report Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector, in November 2004. The summit provided an opportunity to share best practice and examine case studies from both the public and private sectors.
He welcomed the publication of the ...One Year On report, published by HSE and detailing the work of the Task Force, and the launch of the Civil Service Sickness Absence Report issued by the Cabinet Office.
Lord Hunt added: "Across the public sector, we have started to show that action to prevent sickness absence and get people back to work sooner is having an impact. Our One Year On Report shows what can be done with high-level commitment and management action, on the use of trigger points and return to work interviews.
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The Ministerial Task Force includes membership from HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, Department of Health, Home Office and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
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