NHS: Staff
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted an assessment on the impact of work-related stress on the life expectancy of health professionals (a) pre-COVID and (b) post-COVID.
Answered by Karin Smyth
There has been no assessment made on the impact of work-related stress on the life expectancy of health professionals pre-COVID and post-COVID.
We know that sickness absence relating to stress and mental health in the National Health Service workforce has increased and we are making the health and wellbeing of all NHS staff a top priority and improving the support available to staff.
NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for their staff, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support, occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments.
At a national level, NHS staff have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support alongside the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service for more complex mental health and wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will shortly introduce a set of staff standards for NHS Staff, covering issues such as working healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
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