Sickness Absence Patterns of 5000 NHS Staff Employed within Northallerton and South West Durham Health Authorities

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Abstract
The sickness absence records of the employees of the Northallerton and South West Durham Health Authorities were analysed for one year. The period covered was after the introduction of self-certification and included all absence terminating in the year ended March 1984. There was a 50 per cent difference in the overall level of absence between the two authorities. Similar differences in level of absence applied to one-day, short-term and long-term absence. Marked differences were noted between occupational groups, with medical and dental staff having the least absence and maintenance workers the highest. Amongst female nurses in one authority the average number of episodes was one per year which was very similar to Barr''s survey of 6000 hospital nurses in 1957. In the other authority the average number of episodes was 50 per cent higher, but in both authorities the nature of absence had changed. Of the episodes 37 per cent now last one day compared to 18 per cent in 1957. Sixteen per cent of the episodes lasted between 7 to 28 compared to 37 per cent in 1957. The percentage of episodes lasting 29 days and longer appeared to be relatively unchanged. The proportion of nurses having multiple episodes has shown increase. An absence profile using frequency distributions and duration of absence have enabled these changes in the nature of absence to be recorded which would have been concealed had the traditional indices of episodes per person and percentage of lost time been used alone. The use of an absence profile should be the method of choice for comparing absence rates. The advent of computer technology has made this possible.

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