Health and social care sector

Self-reported injuries in the health and social care sector have declined over the past decade whilst employer-reported injuries have increased. There is no measurable trend in the rate of work-related ill-health, which has remained largely flat.

The latest results show:

• about five million lost working days (1.78 days per worker) due to self-reported work-related illness and injury. Around 90% of this was illness related (LFS)
• this is one of the highest number of working days lost per worker in any sector and higher than the average of 0.98 days per worker for all industries (LFS)
• an estimated 100 000 new cases of work-related ill health, with rates for stress, in particular, significantly above the average for all industries (LFS)
• 11 546 reported injuries to employees in the health sector and 6 355 in social care and
• 28% of over 3 day reports in residential care, 20% in social work and 17% in healthcare are of assault (RIDDOR)

Estimated averaged rates of all self-reported workplace injury and of non-fatal injury with over three day absence, for people working in the last 12 months (LFS)