Whitehall civil servants took a record 771,433 days of sick leave last year because of stress and other mental health problems, figures show.
That number of mental health sick days taken by officials working for government departments was 38% higher than the 558,125 recorded the year before.
Labour said the “shocking” figures, which they obtained under freedom of information laws, revealed “a mental health crisis at the heart of Whitehall”. The Conservative government had not properly supported people with anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions, it claimed.
The figures show that the amount of mental health-related sick leave across the heart of government has been rising continuously for the past decade.
Civil servants at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) took the most sick days for mental health in 2021-22 – a total of 280,597. Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took off almost as much time – 236,365 days – while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had the third-highest total, at 88,723 days.
Unions representing Whitehall workers blamed the rising numbers on increased workloads, the impact of Covid-19, staff cuts, low pay, long hours and poor morale. The figures underlined the “scandalous” extent of mental health problems in the civil service, one said.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, linked MoJ staff having the largest amount of mental health sick leave to the fact that it was headed by Dominic Raab, the lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice, who is also Rishi Sunak’s deputy prime minister.
The Guardian disclosed in January that Raab was facing 24 separate complaints from civil servants of bullying. An inquiry into his behaviour is expected to report back in the near future.
Rayner, who is also the shadow secretary for the future of work, said: “Instead of setting an example to employers about how to treat workers respectfully, Rishi Sunak’s deputy faces 24 formal allegations of bullying, with his department experiencing the highest rate of mental health sickness across Whitehall.
“These shocking figures reveal a mental health crisis at the heart of Whitehall with a chronic failure by the Conservatives to support their workforce.”
Other cabinet ministers have also faced allegations of bullying civil servants in recent years, including the former home secretary Priti Patel, and the former education and defence secretary Gavin Williamson. Patel was found to have bullied officials but the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, took no action. Williamson resigned last November as a Cabinet Office minister after text messages he sent to a fellow minister emerged.
Labour’s research also found that of all government departments, officials at the MoJ took the highest number of sick days a year per head as a result of mental health issues.
Last year its staff took an average of 3.32 days off for mental health, up from 2.58 days the year before. Personnel at the DWP had the second-highest per capita rate of mental health absence – 2.88 days – while the Department for Transport had the next-highest rate, at 1.92 days.
Lucille Thirlby, the assistant general secretary of the FDA, which represents many civil servants, said: “It’s not surprising that civil servants’ mental health is suffering, as our members report increasing workload pressures and regularly working well beyond their contracted hours.
“Excessive workloads and working hours are long-running issues across the civil service and have a huge impact on people’s mental health. The government should take this issue seriously and take concrete steps to better support staff.”
In a member survey, published last November in an FDA report into hybrid working, the union found that 77% of respondents did some unpaid extra hours of work every week, while 74% said that working excessive hours had negatively affected their wellbeing, and 60% thought unduly long hours were a problem where they worked.
The FDA has previously aired its concern about the impact of alleged “bullying” behaviour by several ministers in Sunak’s administration on their civil servants.
Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS union, said: “These figures further demonstrate the devastating impact the government’s appalling treatment is having on its own workers. Staff cuts, increased pressure from unmanageable workloads and low pay have worsened the already rock-bottom morale of staff.
“PCS members went above and beyond during the pandemic, often at risk to their own physical and mental health. It’s no surprise that the effects of their sacrifice are on this scandalous scale.”
A government spokesperson said: “The civil service continues to improve its approach to health and wellbeing to help employees access the support they need to stay in or return to work, and fulfil their potential.”
