FOI 0615 & 0616-2024/25 Sick Leave

Request
Q1. I would like to request the data on the amount of staff employed by the force which are currently on long term sick leave (defined as over 28 days).

Q1a. If possible, a breakdown of how many of these staff are frontline police officers. 

Q2. How many police officers have taken sick leave due to mental health reasons between January 2023 - present.

Extent and Result of Searches to Locate Information
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held by North Yorkshire Police.   

Decision
Under Section 5 of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004, requests can be aggregated where (a) the two or more requests by one person relate, to any extent, to the same or similar information, and (b) those requests received by the public authority within any period of sixty consecutive working days.

As such, your requests made on 14 October 2024 – 0615.2024-25 and 0616.2024-25, have been aggregated into one response.

I have today decided to disclose the following information to you.

Q1. The number of staff (including police officers, PCSOs and police staff) on long time sick leave (defined as over 28 days) as at 25 October 2024 was 127.

Q1a. The number of frontline staff on long term sick leave as at 25 October 2024 was 52.

I have defined frontline officers as those in response teams, neighbourhood policing teams, criminal investigation teams, safeguarding investigation teams and investigation hub teams.

Q2. Between 1 January 2023 to 25 October 2024 there have been 462 police officers that have taken sick leave for mental health reasons which include the following:

• Anxiety
• Bereavement anxiety
• Depression
• Other mental disorders
• Other stress
• Post natal depression
• Post traumatic stress
• Stress
• Work related stress

 Please note:

• If an officer has had multiple periods of sickness during time period specified they will be counted mulitple times.
• Although the sickness absence falls within the timeframe specified the sickness absence start/end date may fall outside the timeframe specified.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.