6:10am Friday 3rd July 2009
By Jo Winrow
All Bradford Council staff have been told that days off sick must be dramatically reduced.
In a strongly-worded letter, chief executive Tony Reeves says the authority’s record is one of the worst in the country.
His letter warns that, on average, 12 days are lost per person per year to illness among the Council’s 18,275 employees – a situation he describes as “alarming”.
Mr Reeves says rates need to “radically improve” as they are costing taxpayers millions of pounds in agency costs and lost productivity.
Two departments have been identified as sickness hotspots. Workers in adult services have an average 20 days off a year due to poor health. In environment and neighbourhoods the average is more than 17 per person per year.
Changes have already been implemented mainly focused on early referrals with a pilot project operating in adult services.
Other successful methods have included: stress audits, training for managers, mediation, and a pilot scheme with GPs providing direct referrals to the Council’s occupational health service.
Attendance champions have also been appointed in each department to promote a culture of attendance at work.
Mr Reeves said: “We are aware that sickness levels are high at Bradford Council but we are tackling the issue by offering as much help and support as we can.
“As a good and caring employer we are taking measures where possible to get people back to work quicker. People are being referred to our Occupational Health Unit at the earliest opportunity who can then in turn refer people for counselling or fast track physiotherapy .
“However, I must emphasise that there are many staff within the Council who are never or rarely sick. I am confident that, after working closely with the trade unions, we can meet our targets to reduce sickness levels.”
Councillor Kris Hopkins, leader of the Council and the Conservative group, said: “The high levels of staff sickness in some parts of the Council are completely unacceptable, particularly at a time when we are operating in a climate of reduced resources and increased demands on services.
“As a publicly-funded body, it is essential we are run efficiently and provide value for money for Council taxpayers. I fully support the chief executive’s efforts.”
Councillor Ian Greenwood, leader of the Labour group, said: “Clearly sickness needs to be managed effectively and I’m surprised it’s taken this long to get round to tackling the problem.
“However, it should not be used as a smokescreen for the long-standing failures of leadership that have dragged Bradford into the worst ten per cent of councils.”
Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, Liberal Democrat group leader, said: “While no-one would deny the right to those that are ill to take the day off work, when people do go off sick it can put a lot of pressure on their colleagues.
“We have one of the worst absence records and we need to get to the bottom of why it is so high.”
Steve Torrance, regional organiser at public sector union, Unison, accepted that sickness levels need to be monitored closely, but said it was a joint issue and the union would work in co-operation with the Council to improve attendance levels.
“The focus must be upon ensuring the health and well-being of individuals and not using a big stick approach to those with genuine sickness. Each case needs to be looked at individually, and there should not be a blanket policy for everyone. There is a risk that the goodwill of long-standing employees will be eroded.”
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