Figures published by solicitor general Robert Buckland QC how that the Crown Prosecution Service lost 11,845 days because of mental illness in 2015/16. This is significantly down from the 2013/14, when 16,028 days were lost to mental health issues such as stress, mood-affective disorders, disorders of personality or behaviour, and schizophrenia. However, the SFO has bucked the downward trend, with the number of mental disorders-related absences shooting up from just 18 in 2013/14 to 507 over the last year. In addition, absences attributed stress or work related stress numbered 529 in 2015/16, up from 105 in 2013/14.

Mental health ‘a priority’ for public lawyers

The ’Solicitors health and wellbeing’ reported published by the Law Society in 2014 found that one in five practicing certificate holders in the UK had suffered from ‘extreme’ or ‘severe’ levels of stress at work, with solicitors working in the public sector substantially more likely to report using care services than their colleagues in private practice. A spokesperson for the CPS said that managing mental health related issues had become ‘priority’ in recent years, with several new initiatives launch to help support suffering staff. These include a 24-hour confidential helpline staffed by qualified counsellors and schemes to help support workplace stress management and healthy work-life balance.

Source: Law Society Gazette