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Written question asked by Lord Godson (Conservative) on Monday, 23 February 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 March 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.


NHS: Sick Leave

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what factors they attribute to any persistently high levels of sickness absence within the NHS.

Answer

Improving National Health Service staff’s health and wellbeing is a priority, recognising the link between workforce wellbeing, attendance, and high-quality patient care.

NHS England is supporting organisations to strengthen their culture, improve working conditions, and expand access to high quality occupational health and wellbeing services.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two main causes of sickness absence in the NHS.

To further support this ambition, we are working with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL14681
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Staff NHS Sick leave
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk