Managing sickness absence and declared disabilities in a district nursing team.

Abstract

Sickness absence in the NHS is around 2.3% higher than in the rest of the economy. Although policies and guidelines are in place to manage this problem, stress-related illness is on the rise. Managing sickness, absence and declared disabilities in district nursing teams is an issue that must be handled by staff members, team managers and the wider organisation. Occupational health services are a crucial component in both preventing and managing staff sickness and absence, but these may well not have adequate resources to cope with increased stress-related illness. Ensuring that occupational health services are adequately resourced and able to respond appropriately to both the needs of staff in need of their support and managers is part of the organisational responsibilty. This article aims to guide managers in caring for their staff properly and meeting service demand, a difficult balancing act.