PERSONAL

S James

Via email: [FOI #16805 email]

24 August 2009

Our ref: HR/bac

Ask for: Bridget Clark

Dear S James,

Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Information request in relation to workers signed off with depression

Thank you for contacting Worcestershire County Council (WCC). Your request for information has now been considered and some of the information you have asked for is available:

Question1. Please can you let me know the number of working days lost each year for the past 10 due to "stress, anxiety and depression". Please also include the total working days which were available for your workforce for each year.

The Council is in the process of implementing a new HR/Payroll system and currently there are no reports available in respect of sickness absence as these are being developed and tested. Prior to September 2008 the whole organisation did not use the same database for storing absence management data. WCC regrets that your request has not been processed because we have calculated that to locate, retrieve and collate the information held would involve a compliance cost in excess of the specified limit of £450. In accordance with Section 12 of the Act, where an authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit, WCC is not obliged to comply with your request.

Question 2. Also please can you let me know how many employees for each were retired on the grounds of ill-health each for the past 10 years.

Bridget A Clark FCIPD

Ms

HR Recruitment and Reward Strategy Manager

Human Resources

County Hall

Spetchley Road

Worcester

WR5 2NP

Ill health retirements as a percentage of the workforce have been published as a Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) from 2000/01 when it was introduced until 2007/08 when BVPI's were no longer collected for statutory purposes and I attach the published results for your information.

The workforce statistics for the corresponding years (as FTE) were;

2000/01 9,630

2001/02 10,039

2002/03 10,474

2003/04 10,682

2004/05 11,146

2005/06 11,718

2006/07 12,092

2007/08 12,172

Question 3. Please separately state dismissals in this as well where ill health
was brought up as a factor.

The Council is unable to respond to this request as it does not hold this data.

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact me.

If you have a complaint about the handling of this enquiry then in the first instance please contact:

Consumer Relations Department

Worcestershire County Council

County Hall

Spetchley Road

Worcester

WR5 2NP

01905 766364

You can then also contact the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF 
Telephone: 01625 54 57 45
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Bridget A Clark

HR Recruitment and Reward Strategy Manager

Tel 01905 766215  Fax 01905 766221  Minicom (01905) 766399  DX 29941 Worcester 2

[email address]  www.worcestershire.gov.uk