SHOCK figures have revealed a huge jump in the number of NHS staff signed off work for stress and anxiety.

They show that the number of people working for NHS North Yorkshire and York taking sick days for those reasons has doubled in two years.

Last year, the figure reached 162 – twice the number who took sick days for similar reasons in 2008.

The number of days off taken because of stress and anxiety rose from 1,935 to 3,933 over the same period.

However, health chiefs said there were reasons behind the rise and that actual work-related stress had remained relatively constant.

The figures relate to staff working in administrative and clerical posts as well as medical and dental staff, but do not include doctors and nurses employed by hospitals.

The biggest number of staff taking sick leave through stress and anxiety worked in nursing and midwifery in the community.

Union leaders said the figures were partly caused by staff uncertainty as a result of health reforms, and said the issue was reflected across the country.

The associate director of human resources at NHS North Yorkshire and York, Amanda Wilcock, said the figures related to a period when they employed more than 4,500 staff, most of whom had now transferred to other NHS organisations following restructuring.

She said: “Over the last three years, how we record and categorise all absences has improved, and this has consequently led to more accurate reporting and high figures for absence due to anxiety and stress.

“We do monitor work-related stress through our annual staff survey and, over the last three years, this has remained relatively constant.

“It is also important to recognise that a high proportion of absence due to stress and anxiety was not work-related and included issues such as bereavement and family illness.”

She said they recognised that the pressure to reduce management costs and the recent restructuring had been challenging for employees.

She said: “When staff have an issue with stress or anxiety related to their work, we ensure they are supported as much as possible and are able to return to work when they and their GP feel they are ready, often through phased returns.”