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Press release: New report shows stress is rife in the NHS

02 Nov 2005

Over 60% of NHS organisations believe up to half their staff may be suffering from workplace stress, according to a new report published today.

NHS Employers is publishing Workplace Stress in the NHS in collaboration with Consult GEE to coincide with Stress Awareness Day and the start of its campaign to help both NHS employers and their staff recognise stress and deal with it effectively.

NHS Employers head of workplace health and employment Julian Topping said: "Our lives are becoming increasingly more hectic and stress levels are soaring. Stress has become one of the biggest causes of staff sickness and costs the NHS millions of pounds every year.

"Employers have a legal duty to manage stress among staff, and staff have a legal duty towards making sure they are safe and well. The main problem is that many people don't recognise when they, or their employees, are stressed until it is too late, and if they do, they very often don't know what to do about it.

"Lots of advice and information about stress already exists and many NHS organisations are already doing a lot to tackle it. However, our research shows that a lot more can be done. That is why we have decided to run our awareness campaign. We want more staff and employers to take stress seriously and know where they can go to get advice and help."

The Workplace Stress in the NHS report follows a survey carried out during the NHS Confederation annual conference in June 2005. The findings include:

• 62% of respondents estimated that up to half their employees might be under stress within their organisation.
• 35% of respondents said their organisations had carried out a stress risk assessment on staff (mainly every one to three years). The rest either hadn't carried out an assessment, or didn't know if they had.
• 29% of respondents said their organisation had a stress policy and a further 6% said they had plans for such a policy
• Counselling was the most popular stress prevention technique used by organisations: 74% of respondents said their organisation offered this to their staff. 43% said their organisation redesigned or restructured jobs to tackle stress; 42% said they offered stress management training and education training programmes and 40% offered health checks.
• 63% of respondents thought stress was discussed at senior management/board meetings anywhere between every few months to a couple of times a year.

Starting today, NHS Employers will be running a long-term awareness campaign about stress. The How Are You Doing? campaign will kick off with packs containing awareness posters and booklets being sent to every NHS trust in England. Information and advice will also be available online for both employers and staff on a new dedicated area of the NHS Employers website.

Notes for editors

1. Workplace Stress in the NHS is the result of a survey carried out during the NHS Confederation 2005 annual conference. The report is a joint project between NHS Employers, information firm Consult GEE and law firm Bevan Brittan. It will be available from 2 November at www.nhsemployers.org/stress
2. Work pressure stress is responsible for 30% of staff sickness in the NHS and costs the service £300-£400 million every year.
3. NHS Employers, the employers' organisation for the NHS in England, was launched on 1 November 2004. Its work programme includes pay negotiations, health and safety, equality and diversity, recruitment and retention, the NHS Pension Scheme review, European and UK employment practice, safer recruitment and doctor disciplinary. It also delivers the NHS Careers service.
4. NHS Employers is part of the NHS Confederation but has its own director, policy board and assembly.
5. The How Are You Doing? website will be available at www.nhsemployers.org/stress from November 2.

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

A photo-call is being held at Charing Cross Hospital in the staff restaurant on Wednesday, November 2 when complementary therapists will be giving free stress-relieving treatments to staff. Meet at the main hospital reception at 11.45am

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