The management of sickness absence in the NHS

Sickness absence continues to be an economic burden to the NHS. Managers are faced with employees' sickness episodes and may have some challenges in managing this issue. This article draws on sickness absence statistics to highlight the extent of the problem in the NHS in England. It focuses on some influencing factors and possible causes of sickness absence, and explores strategies that managers could adopt when managing sickness absence in their clinical environments. It concludes by highlighting the important role that managers play in the process of managing sickness rates.