Mental health absences fall but remain leading cause of sickness at Barnsley Council
Mental health-related sickness absence among staff at Barnsley Council has fallen significantly over the past year, but it remains the single biggest reason employees take time off work, according to a new council report.
The authority’s Employee Sickness Absence and Performance Management Annual Report for 2024–25 shows absences linked to stress, anxiety and depression dropped by more than 3,500 days compared with the previous year.
Mental health absences accounted for 7,379 days in 2024–25, making up 26.5 per cent of all sickness absence, down from 10,960 days and 44.2 per cent in 2023–24.
Despite the reduction, mental health issues continue to be the most common cause of sickness absence across the council.
Overall sickness absence increased slightly during the year, with staff taking an average of 9.2 days off per employee, up from 8.43 days the previous year and above the council’s target of 8.5 days.
In total, 27,858 working days were lost to sickness absence in 2024–25, compared with 24,187 days the year before.
The report notes that while mental health remains the leading cause, sickness absence is now spread more evenly across a wider range of conditions. Gastrointestinal illness was the second most common reason for absence, followed by injury and fractures, coughs and flu, and musculoskeletal problems.
Long-term sickness absence continues to have the biggest impact on overall figures. Absences lasting four weeks or more accounted for 71.5 per cent of all days lost, with Children’s Services and Growth and Sustainability seeing the highest levels of long-term absence.
Council officers say the reduction in mental health-related absence reflects ongoing investment in wellbeing support, including occupational health referrals, mental health and wellbeing champions, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme.
The report also places the council’s figures in a national context, noting that sickness absence has risen across the UK workforce. Latest national data shows the average employee took 9.4 days off sick in 2025, with mental ill health identified as the leading cause of long-term absence.
Despite the increase in overall sickness absence locally, Barnsley Council’s rate remains the lowest among comparable councils in the Yorkshire and Humber region, the report says.
Councillors are due to review the findings at the Audit and Governance Committee as part of wider scrutiny of organisational resilience and workforce wellbeing.