Mental health problems cost Dorset County Council more than £3,000 a day in the last quarter of the 2017-18 financial year.

Stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 1,825 lost working days at the council over the three months – at a cost of £183,300.

Over the quarter total sickness absences at DCC cost £696,794, amounting to 7,875 days working days.

The Dorset County Council figures are better than many other authorities overall with each worker taking an average of around eight days off per year, compared to 10.5 days for local government officers across the country.

Sickness absence overall, per worker, increased from 7.95 days in the third quarter of the financial year to 8.25 days in the final quarter.

The figures which go before the county council staffing committee next week, July 9, show that short-term absence has increased by 28% during the quarter, whilst long-term absence has remained at a similar level. This increase is across all directorates and is due mainly to respiratory and ear, nose and throat related absences, typical of the winter period.

The report also shows that for the 12 month period 2017/18, the council dismissed 13 employees due to medical incapability plus 4 ill health retirements. This compares with 19 medical incapability dismissals and 5 ill health retirements for the previous twelve month period.

Adult and Community Services dismissed 2 employees due to medical incapability, 2 ill-health retirements; Children’s Services dismissed 3 employees due to medical incapability, no ill-health retirements; Economy and Environment dismissed 1 employees due to medical incapability, 1 ill health retirement; Chief Executives dismissed 2 employees due to medical incapability and Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) dismissed 5 employees due to medical incapability, 1 ill-health retirement.

Figures for the Dorset Waste Partnership show that the organisation lost 658 working days during the final quarter of the year, 217 of them for staff who load bins onto the refuse lorries.

For the final three months of 2017-18 the biggest single cost of absence was attributed to anxiety-depression at 1,145 working days, costing £111,180. Figures for stress are 680 days at a cost of £72,133.

The next biggest cost area for the quarter was for respiratory problems, 1,301 days at a cost of £110,201; followed by ear, nose and throat problems at 1,122 days, costing £109,139.

Neck and back problems amounted to just over 5 per cent of the total lost days; 419, at a cost of £34,190 and other musculoskeletal problems at 959 days, £74,085.

Over all departments the winter quarter saw an 86 per cent increase in respiratory absences, 701 days and a 44 per cent increase in ear nose and throat problems, 1,122 days.

Said report author Jonathan Mair, Director for Organisational Development: “DCC absence remains significantly below the Local Authority average, despite the seasonal rise in sickness absence.

“The sickness audit has highlighted areas where further improvements can be realised, and these recommendations are being actioned.

“It is important that managers focus on interventions which reduce sickness absence rather than rely on targets as a measure of effective management. Wellbeing continues to be a priority in the preceding months of Local Government Review and part of every Directorate’s implementation plan.”