In 2023/24, staff absences due to mental health reached a three-year-high with 468 recorded by the LFB – a rise of 47% compared with 2021
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has seen a 47% rise in staff absences due to mental health amid what the Fire Brigades Union is calling a “crisis”.
Data obtained by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) via a Freedom of Information Request has also found that stress, anxiety and depression were the most common conditions cited for staff mental health absences in the last three years.
Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 1,129 London Fire Brigade staff members took at least one day off work due to mental health.
In 2021/22, 309 staff absences were recorded by the LFB as being due to stress, 74% (230) of which were cited as being due to ‘stress’. A further 37 absences were marked as ‘anxiety related illness’, 26 were attributed to ‘depression’ and 16 were described as ‘other psychological.’
The following year, 365 mental health absences were logged by LFB, again with 74% (270) down to ‘stress’ and another 48 for ‘anxiety related illness. There were also eight absences marked as due to ‘adverse trauma response’ up from five the previous year.
In 2023/24, staff absences due to mental health reached a three-year-high with 468 recorded by the LFB – a rise of 47% compared with 2021.
Again the most common reason was ‘stress’; accounting for 78% of mental health absences while a further 43 absences were categorised as ‘anxiety related illness,’ 23 were marked as due to ‘depression’ and 19 as ‘other psychological.’ There were also ten logged as ‘adverse trauma response’.
Credit: ACA
The LFB estimates that the total cost of all sickness absences (including for mental health) to the service amounted to £25.69million between 2021/22.
The following year, the figure rose to £28.69m and is now at a three-year-high with the estimated cost to the service standing at £29.5m for 2023/24.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) General Secretary, Matt Wrack, told ACA: “We are facing a mental health crisis in the fire and rescue service. Since attending traumatic incidents is an unavoidable part of the job for firefighters, mental health support is vital.”
Secretary Matt Wrack added: “Despite the evidence that firefighters are struggling, fire service mental health provision is patchy across the UK.
“After a decade of cuts to the fire and rescue service, firefighters are being pushed beyond limits to keep the public safe. Responding to life-or-death situations without adequate resources is intensely stressful. To address this mental health crisis, we need central government to provide the investment needed to rebuild the service.”
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