THE proportion of Wirral council staff taking sick days for mental health is as high as it has been since 2010 – with the authority calling it a "major area of concern".

A total of 342 employees took time off for complaints including anxiety, stress and depression during the 2017-18 year – a total of 10.6% of the council’s 3,200 workforce.

A report to be discussed by a council committee next week said the workforce has reduced by more than 2,000 employees since 2010 due to cuts, redundancies and remodelling – meaning a "challenging and uncertain time" for them.

In terms of percentages of staff calling in sick due to mental health, the 10.6% figure for 2017/18 matches 2015/16 – but is higher than every other year since 2010/11.

Between January and December 2018, staff took nearly 12,000 days off for mental health – 37.2% of the 32,207 total.

While the figure for the year before was not available, it appears to have risen from the 2017/18 total of 8,406 – even though the two periods cover some of the same months.

It meant for each member of staff taking a mental health sick day, they had nearly 36 days off each.

Despite that, minor illnesses such as ear, nose and throat complaints, and abdominal problems, remain "by far" the most common cause of short-term absence.

The report, set to be discussed by the council's business overview and scrutiny committee next week, said the situation in Wirral, like many other organisations across different sectors in the UK, is a "major area of concern".

It added: "Our absence levels are higher than we want and so this is a priority area for the organisation.

"In dealing with these challenges our approach is consistent with how other organisations are also trying to address this; and we are committed to doing so."

It said dealing with sickness absence effectively is a "top priority" for the authority and an "ongoing challenge".

It added: "It is clear that while the Council’s absence figures remain higher than we want them to be, the position is relatively steady and we are comparable with other local authorities in the region.

"The level of mental health related absence in particular presents a significant and ongoing challenge for the council as it does for many similar organisations across a range of sectors.

"The causes are complex and varied and therefore there is not one intervention to manage this."

The only illness that resulted in a larger average number of days off per employee for mental health was cancer.

The report also said the approximate cost of overall absence hit £3.3m in 2017-18.

It added that while the actual number of employees absent with mental health issues each year has reduced, that's because staff headcount has reduced.

Despite that decrease, the percentage of staff for the past eight full years for which data is available, is at the highest level – 10.6% – since 2010.

Overall, full-time staff took an average 11.12 days off in 2017-18 for sickness – the sixth highest of 13 north west councils.

A council spokeswoman said the authority's absence figures are "comparable" with other authorities in the region – and lower than many.

She added: "The council provides training to managers across the board to better support employees and individuals in the sensitive handling of all absences, including mental health, the causes of which are often complex and varied.

"In light of this, for example, the council has recently provided Mental Health First Aid training to 32 managers, with further training sessions planned for the coming months.

"Through continued support and training alongside the council's Workplace Wellbeing Strategy, we are working hard to reduce levels of absence in the coming year.

"While there has been a 40% reduction in the council workforce over the last decade, the organisation continues to provide frontline services in response to increasing demands.

"The Workplace Wellbeing strategy seeks to support our hardworking staff as they respond to the many challenges they face across our diverse council teams."

Emma Mamo, head of workplace well-being at charity Mind, said it was important employers tackle work-related poor mental health, cutting down need for staff to go on long-term sick leave.

She said: "Stress and poor mental health at work are extremely common.

"In fact, a recent Mind survey found almost one in two employees had experienced a mental health problem while working for their current employer, while figures calculated as part of the 'Thriving at Work' review found poor mental health costs employers between £33bn and £42bn a year.

Mental health problems can be debilitating and should be seen as a valid reason for needing time off.

"However, if staff feel well supported they can and do carry out their roles to a high standard.

"We want to see employers create an open environment where people are able to talk about stress and mental health.

"This includes ensuring staff who need to take time off work because of stress are treated the same as those who taking days off for physical health problems.

"Wirral Mind has a range of high quality services which are free and open to all."