Almost 100,000 NHS workers have been absent from work over the past five years due to mental health-related illnesses, shocking new figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives reveal.
Freedom of Information responses show that 97,189 NHS staff in Scotland have missed shifts since 2020 because of anxiety, stress, depression or other mental health conditions.
The number of staff signed off with mental health conditions has also risen year on year, from 13,817 in 2020-21 to 21,845 in 2024-25, an increase of 58.1%.
These absences have resulted in over 22.5 million working hours being lost in the health service.
Shadow mental wellbeing minister Brian Whittle says the figures are proof that NHS staff have been pushed “beyond breaking point” on the SNP’s watch.
He has accused successive SNP health secretaries of dire workforce planning and added that patients are paying the price for so many staff suffering ill health.
Scottish Conservative shadow mental wellbeing minister Brian Whittle MSP said “These shocking figures are a damning indictment of the SNP’s total lack of support for our NHS staff.
“On the SNP’s watch many staff have been pushed well beyond breaking point and are unable to work. My thoughts are with anyone who has had to take time off work due to mental health issues.
“Workers have been crying out for support, but successive SNP health secretaries have been missing in action.
“Their dire workforce planning has left our health service dangerously overstretched and patients also end up paying a heavy price for the SNP’s incompetence, despite the best efforts of staff.
“The situation facing staff and patients in Scotland is a national scandal, yet John Swinney and Neil Gray have no credible plan to fix it. They need solutions, not soundbites.
“With winter fast approaching, the huge pressure and demands on staff will likely intensify. Neil Gray must finally outline a plan that gets more resources to support frontline staff, rather than money being squandered on backroom bureaucracy in the health service.”