Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service thanks ‘dedicated’ staff – after £2.2 million lost amid ‘mental health crisis’

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS) has lost more than £2.2 million in the cost of staff absences over the last three years, a Freedom of Information Request by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) has revealed.

Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 158 DFRS staff have taken at least one day off work due to mental health. Stress, depression and anxiety were the common conditions cited for staff mental health absences.

Stress, the most common condition and was recorded 83 times and depression, second most common condition, was logged 30 times. The data has revealed that more than one condition can be cited as the reason for absence.

In 2021/22 staff absences cost the service around £716,023 and a further £706,261 the following year. In the last year, 2023/24, the figure rose by 24 per cent to £876,478, according to DFRS.

Data provided by the fire service also shows that there has been an increase in the number of fire staff who went on to leave the service altogether after taking time off due to mental health.

In 2021/22, nine members of Derbyshire Fire and Service staff who had time off due to mental health subsequently went on to leave the service. The following year, the figure rose to 11 members of staff who left as well as a further 11 in 2023/24.

While it cannot be confirmed that the sole reason for leaving is associated with mental health, The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said that a ‘crisis’ within UK Fire Services must be addressed.

The FBU General Secretary Matt Wrack said: “We are facing a mental health crisis in the fire and rescue service. Since attending traumatic incidents is an unavoidable part of the job for firefighters, mental health support is vital.

“Despite the evidence that firefighters are struggling, fire service mental health provision is patchy across the UK. After a decade of cuts to the fire and rescue service, firefighters are being pushed beyond limits to keep the public safe.

“Responding to life-or-death situations without adequate resources is intensely stressful. To address this mental health crisis, we need central government to provide the investment needed to rebuild the service.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service said: "DFRS is incredibly proud of the hard-working and dedicated people who make up our workforce.

“We recognise the increasing pressure and expectation on all public sector bodies amidst a challenging economic climate where social demands continue to evolve.

“This requires our Service to constantly adapt to meet emerging needs and places a continual demand on our front-line personnel, service managers and those in professional support roles who collectively work to keep our communities safe.

“We remain committed to fostering an environment where all of our employees can speak openly about their mental health without fear of stigma.

“Figures show that we have had fewer mental health-related absences across our workforce in the last two financial years when compared to 2021/22.

“We continue support our employees and review how this is delivered to achieve and maintain their mental health and wellbeing.”

ACA offers a specialist service for anyone looking for support and advice after being affected by mental health. They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which can be accessed via their website.