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The chancellor pledged to tackle sickness levels in the public sector in his three-year spending review announced this week.

Gordon Brown explained that better management of sickness absence in the public sector should release resources to meet priorities and release employees with good attendance records from the pressures of covering for colleagues.

Work and pensions secretary Andrew Smith will commission a review of the public sector's management of long-term sickness to report in the autumn. It will look at the costs to the public sector, trends and causes of long-term absence, and the scope for introducing incentives for good attendance.


In 2002, a survey of 171 social services departments found the average annual sickness rate per employee was 16.1 days, with stress being a significant factor.

British Association of Social Workers director Ian Johnston called for the review to concentrate on and address the reasons behind the sickness levels.