South Essex hospitals facing thousands of staff absences

Fresh figures revealed through a Freedom of Information request show 3,970 workers at Basildon, Southend, and Broomfield hospitals have taken at least one day off due to mental health related issues in the last three years. 

Campaigners have claimed the figure is “only going to rise further” as they highlight a pause on agency staff, the ongoing employment freeze and financial pressure on the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust which is “putting more pressure on over-stretched and overworked staff”.  

Campaigners - Save Southend NHS campaigners (Image: SSNHS)

The trust is facing a £66.6 million deficit and is running a “mutually agreed resignation scheme” which campaigners and unions fear is impacting the current workforce. 

The Mid and South Essex NHS Trust has rebuked this, claiming it has a range of measures to support staff while being forced to make “difficult decisions” to manage spending.

A mental health team manager working at the trust, who spoke to the Echo via campaign group Save Southend NHS, claimed the trust has faced a “significant rise” in referrals for colleagues over the past two years. 

Southend Hospital - Under pressure from campaigners (Image: Steve Brading)

They said: “Colleagues report feelings of depression and overwhelming anxiety as a direct result of the restrictions and pressures that we all find ourselves facing in the workplace.

“Of course it is true that referrals to the mental health services have increased across the population as a whole, however what we hear from colleagues relates to management decisions and directives that impact our ability to provide the high quality care that we all joined the NHS to deliver.

“It is no surprise that restrictions on the utilisation of agency staff in order to save money, has an impact on the substantive staff.

“Being understaffed and over stretched day upon day leads to an increase in staff sickness and absence which, in turn, leads to further pressure on the staff that remain.

“The freeze on recruitment means that staff cannot see a future where they are under less pressure and no one can continue to perform effectively when they feel so disillusioned and unsupported in the workplace.”

They added: “These decisions made by management are exactly what people refer to when saying that the NHS is badly managed.”

Staff claims have been backed by the Unison union, who have said the figures are “hardly surprising.”

The figures, obtained by law firm Legal Expert, revealed 1410 staff absences for mental health incidents in 2021/22, 1266 in 2022/23 and 1294 in 2023/24.

Unison Southend and Mid Essex Health branch secretary Joyce Aldridge said: “Staff have been pushed beyond their limits after 14 years of austerity. While the new government has made some important steps, the crisis at the trust is only deepening. The trust has shed hundreds of jobs, frozen recruitment and cut back on bank and agency staff. This has left our hospitals short-staffed and just adds to the pressures staff across the trust are facing.”

Selina Dundas, chief people officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: “We have a range of measures to support the health and wellbeing of our staff, such as access to mental health and psychological services and regular wellbeing days.”