Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of its staff being unable to work because of lack of availability of medical treatment funded by clinical commissioning groups.

The information needed to make such an estimate is not collected centrally. Employers are responsible for managing sickness absence of their staff and taking action to support their health and wellbeing so they can stay at work and many already provide access to physiotherapy for musculoskeletal problems as well as counselling for mental health and stress.

NHS England is leading a £5 million campaign to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff working with Public Health England, NHS Employers and trusts across the NHS. They are creating capacity to improve help for staff on the major causes of ill health including access to physiotherapy and mental health talking therapies, as well as smoking cessation and weight management services. Subject to evaluation at 10 trusts, these services will be rolled out more widely in due course.