DHSC & stress leave

Summary

The requester asked for annual statistics on DHSC staff taking stress leave, broken down by profession, from the earliest available date to the present. The Department of Health and Social Care responded by providing the requested data in a table, noting that absences are recorded by start year and reasons are self-reported.

Key Facts

• The request was received on 14 September 2018 and responded to on 21 September 2018.
• The data covers stress leave for DHSC staff from the earliest available date to the present.
• Absences are recorded for the year they commence, meaning one person may appear in multiple years if leave spans a year-end.
• Reasons for absence are self-reported by staff.
• Many stress-related absences involve multiple factors, though individuals may cite work as the deciding factor.

Data Disclosed

• 14 September 2018
• 21 September 2018
• 594935

Original Request

Can you advise of the number of staff from the Department of Health and Social Care who have been given stress leave, per annum. The scope of this request concerns a period from the earliest date available to the present day. I wish for the advised data to be broken down by profession. Regards

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Chief Executive: Malcolm Couch Freedom of Information Team DHSC Digital Cronk Coar Strang IM4 4RJ

(01624) 642621 dhsc@foi.gov.im Website: www.gov.im/dhsc

Our ref: 594935 21 September 2018

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 14 September 2018, which states:

Can you advise of the number of staff from the Department of Health and Social Care who have been given stress leave, per annum? The scope of this request concerns a period from the earliest date available to the present day. I wish for the advised data to be broken down by profession. Our response to your request is as follows: Please find the requested information in the table below. You should note that an absence is recorded for the year it commences in. If it goes over the year end, then one person may account for absences in several years.
The reasons for absence are self-reported, and many stress-related absences have multiple factors, although the individuals may feel that work is the deciding factor. Please quote the reference number 594935 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely