NHS sickness absence leaves staffing gap equivalent to 80 hospitals, analysis finds

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Daniel Pye

The NHS is missing the annual equivalent of more than 80,000 employees due to sickness, enough to staff 80 hospitals, a report based on workforce data has found.

Analysis of NHS sickness absence data by the think tank Policy Exchange found the health service was missing more than 36,000 clinical staff and nearly 44,000 non-clinical staff in June 2025.

Policy Exchange described the cost and impact of NHS sickness absence as “avoidable”. It estimated sickness absence was costing taxpayers £4.6 billion a year and amounted to more than eight million days of lost clinician time.

Long-term sickness absence, defined as a period of more than 28 days, increased by 43% between 2019 and 2024 – and those never returning to work in the NHS increased by 42% over the same period, it found.

NHS England said it recognised there was “always more to do” to protect the wellbeing of staff, which is why it is rolling out staff treatment hubs.