FOI 26-238 Sickness Absence Data
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-238 Sickness Absence Data
- Request Date
- 21 May 2026
- Response Date
- 22 Jun 2026
- Information Requested
Please provide figures regarding staff sickness absence within your organization for the most recent complete financial year (e.g., 2024/2025) or calendar year.
Specifically, I require a breakdown cross-referencing the following three criteria:
1. The Staff Pay Band / Grade (e.g., Agenda for Change Bands).
2. The Department / Business Unit / Directorate (e.g., Human Resources, Finance, Operations, Clinical Specialties).
3. The Recorded Reason for Absence (e.g., mental health/stress, musculoskeletal, respiratory).For each intersection of the criteria above, please provide:
• The total number of staff members who had a recorded sickness absence.
• The total number of working days lost.- Response
The Scottish Ambulance Service can provide sickness absence data for the financial year 2025/26 (April 2025 to March 2026), broken down by absence reason and operational area. This information is set out in the first table on the attached sheet.
For context, the overall sickness absence rate for 2025/26 was 9.1%.
Important information to consider when interpreting this data
- An employee is counted in a year if they had an absence of any length during that period.
- Employees may be counted more than once across different absence categories where they have had more than one type of absence.
- Information is presented by absence reason where possible; however, where a more detailed breakdown would risk identifying individuals, data has been aggregated into an “Other” category.
- The Service does not hold absence data in days; therefore, absence has been reported in hours; this has been provided in the second table on the attached sheet.
- “National Operations” includes Air Ambulance, Control Centre, Integrated Clinical Hub, National Risk and Resilience Department, and ScotSTAR.
In addition, the Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold absence records in a format that allows a breakdown by staff pay band or grade. To provide this information would require the creation of new information and the application of complex judgement. Accordingly, this information is exempt under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, as it is not held.
- Response Documents
