Hospital admissions caused by stress and anxiety are costing the NHS more than £71 million, according to new research.
A study by the New Economics Foundation found there were 17,500 episodes where stress or anxiety was the primary cause for hospital admissions in 2016/17, which led to 165,800 days when beds were occupied.
According to the think tank, the average cost of a bed day to the NHS is around £429, which means the total cost to the taxpayer of these episodes is £71.1m.
Researchers also found there were 203,700 episodes where stress or anxiety was a secondary cause of admission during the same time period.
In addition, the Foundation claims visits to GPs with stress-related housing issues have cost the NHS an additional £17.6 million per year.
The think tank also warned 526,000 workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2016/17, which lead to 12.5 million working days lost.
And the biggest single cause of workplace stress – in 44% of cases – is workload.
The Foundation estimates this lead to a loss of output for employers and the self-employed of between £33.4 and £43 billion a year.
And previous research by the Foundation also found four in 10 British adults are worried about their level of debt.
“The UK is facing a mental health crisis and it is largely due to our broken economic system,” said researcher Sarah Arnold.
“As more and more people are struggling with the pressure of debt, insecure housing, insecure work and a lack of support, the number of people dealing with stress and anxiety is only likely to increase,” added Ms Arnold.
“We need to build a new economy that works for everyone and allows us to flourish rather than burdening us with stress.“
To read the full analysis, click here.
What makes us susceptible to burnout?
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
Well no surprises there then nor that presenteeism has replaced those coping days, taken as a sickie when enough is enough and just have to escape the frustration of knowing that stress is driving a high degree of performance anxiety, exacerbated by sub-optimal DSE screen ergonomics, eye-strain, CVS, Screen Fatigue and self-harming due to work/life pressure and demands of being ON 24/7.