Number of people signed off work with depression

Your application for Freedom of Information has been received.

Your application reference is 101000360085

Dear S James

Information Request: 101000360085

I received your request on 13 August 2009 for information held by Devon
County Council about ill health and its employees.

You are entitled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be informed
whether or not the information you have requested is held by Devon County
Council and if so to be given access to that information within 20 working
days (subject to any exemptions).

You will receive a response to your request by 11 September 2009.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Office
Devon County Council
Room L10
County Hall
Exeter EX2 4QD
Tel: 01392 384678

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Dear S James

Information request reference: 101000360085

Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

You asked the following questions:

1. The number of working days lost each year for the past 10 due to
"stress, anxiety and depression".
2. How many employees for each were retired on the grounds of ill health
each for the last 10 years
3. Please separately state dismissals where ill health was brought up as
a factor

I am able to provide the following information (see below and the attached
spreadsheet):

1. We do not hold records earlier than 2003/04. Of the non-schools
information shown on the attached spreadsheet, some is not available due
to system or other errors which arose at the time of reporting. Records
for schools are held by the individual establishments. The implementation
of a new payroll system has affected the ability to fully report between
2007/08 and 2008/09. We report on absence due to `psychological' reasons.
This absence category covers: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Nervous
breakdown, Drinking problem, Bereavement, Grief, Fatigue, Debility,
Exhaustion. We are not able to separate absences relating expressly to
the three reasons you have asked about.

2. The number of ill health retirements has been reported nationally under
Best Value, and the attached spreadsheet provides the information. We do
not have records earlier than those listed.

3. The information about the reasons for dismissal is held on the case
file of each individual and is not collected centrally. Therefore to
provide the information requested would involve a manual search through
each individual case record. Unfortunately, it has been estimated that
the time it would take to comply with this request will exceed the fee
limit as set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection
(Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. The fee limit is £450
which equates to 18 hours of staff time. If you require assistance in
refining your request, bringing it within the limit, please let me know.

I hope this information is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Freedom of Information Office
Devon County Council
Room L10
County Hall
Exeter EX2 4QD
Tel: 01392 384678

Disclaimer: [1]http://www.devon.gov.uk/email.shtml
Applicable to private messages: "Devon County Council accepts no legal
responsibility for the contents of this message. The views expressed do
not reflect those of Devon County Council"

Your right to complain
If for any reason you are not satisfied with how your request has been
handled, please write to Devon County Council's Freedom of Information
Office, County Hall, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 4QD or complete the on-line
complaint form that can be found at [2]www.devon.gov.uk. If your complaint
is not resolved to your complete satisfaction, you have the right to refer
the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water
Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

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prohibited. Any other re-use, for example commercial publication, would
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Devon County Council will have been produced by local officials and will
be our copyright. If you would like to re-use any of the information which
has been supplied to you, please contact us. Information you receive which
is not subject to our copyright continues to be protected by the copyright
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must ensure that you gain their permission before reproducing any
information

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