MORE than 2,500 staff at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust have taken at least one day off work due to a mental health issue in the past three years, a new investigation has revealed.

Figures obtained by Legal Expert via Freedom of Information (FOI) requests show 2,832 staff members have taken absence due to mental health reasons since 2021.

The trust provides health services across three main sites: the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance and St Michael's Hospital in Hayle.

In 2021/22, 918 staff took a day off for mental health reasons including were anxiety, depression and stress. A year later, numbers decreased to 882, but rose to 1032 in 2023/24.

The rise in mental health-related absence has been attributed to the end of government funding earlier this year and subsequent closures in a national network of mental health hubs established to support NHS frontline workers during the pandemic.

A recent poll conducted by NHS Charities Together suggested three-quarters of NHS staff have experienced poor mental health in the past year, and that 96 per cent of staff surveyed believe pressure on NHS services is growing.

In a statement, NHS Charities Together said: “Faced with the responsibilities of saving lives, high workload, long and unsociable hours and exposure to traumatic events, it’s no surprise many NHS staff are struggling with their mental health. 

“These findings confirm how vital it is to prioritise mental wellbeing so the NHS workforce can continue to deliver the best care for their patients.”

A Royal Cornwall Hospitals spokesperson said: “Like many employers, RCHT has seen a rise in absence due to stress and mental health issues, which reflects the pressures on our services - and for many, our home lives too - and the fact that since the pandemic, our staff have been more open about their mental wellbeing.

“We offer a range of support for our staff, including access to free mental health and counselling through our employee assistance programme, as well other locally provided services, which meant the loss of the hub was less of an issue for us.

“Our health and wellbeing team continues to build on support for colleagues and we are currently looking at new initiatives to be trialled in the coming months.”