Fatigue and burnout are the main reasons so many social services and care workers are off sick in Dumfries and Galloway, it has been revealed.
Staff absence rates are on the increase in the council’s social work department and are roughly 25 percent higher than set targets.
A report was tabled at the council’s social work committee on Tuesday which showed that the social work department had an average employee sickness absence rate of 11.48 days in 2021/22.
This is an increase compared to 11.13 days the previous year, and well off the target of just nine days per year. However, the significant pressures the social work department has been under during the pandemic has been well documented, with many employees forced off sick through stress – and social workers even walking away from the profession.
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