Home / Health / NHS Mental Health Sick Days Surge 42%
NHS Mental Health Sick Days Surge 42%
7 Apr
Summary
- NHS recorded 8 million mental health sick days last year.
- This marks a 42% increase in mental health-related absences since 2020.
- Total staff sickness reached 28 million days in 2025.
New data reveals that NHS staff took a record eight million sick days due to mental health concerns last year. This figure is the highest recorded since 2019 and signifies a substantial 42% escalation in such absences compared to 2020.
The immense pressure on the healthcare workforce, exacerbated by the pandemic and its ongoing consequences, has been identified as a key driver of this trend. In total, NHS staff sickness amounted to 28 million days in 2025, an increase from 21 million days recorded in 2020.
More than a quarter of these total sick days, specifically 7.9 million, were attributed to issues like anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychiatric illnesses. This surge in absences occurs as resident doctors commence strike action concerning a pay dispute, which is expected to impact patient services.
