Exclusive: NHS staff in Yorkshire taking tens of thousands of days off sick with stress every month

Tens of thousands of working days are being lost every month because staff working in Yorkshire's NHS trusts are struggling with stress or anxiety, an ITV investigation can reveal.

More than 37,000 working days were lost at NHS trusts in the region during May 2017 alone - that is almost a third up from the same period four years earlier.

One doctor, who was signed off for two weeks from a South Yorkshire A&E department, has told ITV he believes workforce stress is an "endemic" problem within the region's health service.

The doctor, who wanted to remain anonymous, says his concerns about the level of care patients were receiving led him to suffer from anxiety in winter 2016.

He says two of the 15 junior doctors on every A&E shift would often be signed off sick, leaving rota gaps and increasing workforce stress.

Others have spoken off camera of how their mental health difficulties have led them to take extended leave or even change careers.

The situation, highlighted by figures released by NHS Digital, has led hospital trusts to innovate in the way they support staff.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is one of four trusts in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that runs Schwartz Center Rounds.

The initiative, which was pioneered in America, encourages healthcare staff to talk about and work through their emotions as part of structured group sessions.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have been involved in the first study into the effectiveness of Schwartz Center Rounds in the UK.

The research, which also involved King's College London and the University of Surrey, found that the sessions helped both clinical and non-clinical staff.Stress levels more than halved for workers who attended eight months of regular sessions. For more on the research click here.

The Department of Health was contacted for a comment.