SICKNESS COSTS SOUTH EAST 1.5 BILLION PER YEAR

Employee sickness in the South East is the highest in the UK , costing the region £1.5 billion every year. The South East England Regional Assembly is calling for action from the business and public sector to improve performance.

Over 120,000 workers call in sick every week, leaving the South East region with the highest sickness rate in the UK at 3.3%. On average, employees took 7.8 days absence per year.

The Assembly wants the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), businesses, public sector and the NHS to work together to cut absence rates by:
· SEEDA identifying patterns and causes of absence among key groups in the region's workforce and identifying measures to alleviate absence through a revised Regional Economic Strategy
· Employers contributing to better health, using occupational health practices aimed at the early detection or prevention of illness among employees
· The Public Sector learning from best practice and finding practical ways to promote the health of public sector employees
· The NHS setting an example to all by developing employment practices to make a healthier NHS workplace through the NHS Workforce Strategy.

Candy Morris, Chief Executive of the Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority, said: "The South East is the economic engine of the country. Avoidable sickness absence not only diminishes our quality of life but also constrains productivity and reduces competitiveness. The Assembly wants to help improve workplace health by actively working with the business and public sector."

Research for the Cabinet Office identifies factors that affect workers' health and that employers need to tackle. These include:
· Long term health conditions
· Stress at work
· Lack of job control
· Job security
· Social support at work.


Contacts
Lesley van Dijk, PR Executive at the Regional Assembly   01483 555223/200
lesleyvandijk@southeast-ra.gov.uk
Heather Bolton, Head of Communications at the Regional Assembly 01483 555220/200
heatherbolton@southeast-ra.gov.uk

Notes
1) Sickness is costing the UK £11 billion per year.
2) The South East has a population of 8 million with 3.8 million employed people.  The sickness absence rate of 3.3% relates to 123,678 people sick per week.
3) About 1 in 3 people live with a long-term condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, arthritis.

4) The South East England Regional Assembly is the 'voluntary regional chamber' for the South East.  It was established in January 1999 to give a representative voice to the South East region, which covers Berkshire , Buckinghamshire, East and West Sussex , Hampshire, Isle of Wight , Kent , Oxfordshire, and Surrey .
5) The Regional Assembly is made up of 111 members including elected councillors nominated by the region's local authorities and 37 representatives from other sectors of the community (including business, trades unions, education, housing, health, sports, culture, tourism, faith groups, environmental, community and voluntary organisations).

(Ed:  The assembly is not a directly elected body but is a government appointed QUANGO)

6) The Assembly has three areas of core business:
a) It is the representative voice of the South East, engaging and representing its member organisations and, through them, the wider public.
b) The Assembly has a specific role under the Regional Development Agencies' Act 1998 to ensure the accountability of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to the region.
c) The Assembly has been the Regional Planning Body for the South East since April 2001. It has responsibility for proposing strategic planning and transport policies to Government.
Please visit the South East England Regional Assembly's website for further information at www.southeast-ra.gov.uk.

(3/3/05)