HUNDREDS of council staff members have signed off with stress or other mental health issues in the last two years.

Figures, obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats under freedom of information, show 446 Clackmannanshire Council staff had to take time off work for mental health reasons.

Though the majority were short term periods of under a month, there are many instances of sustained absences.

Clackmannanshire Council say they currently have a range of policies aimed at providing support for staff to help them back to their duties.

A spokesperson said: “Clackmannanshire Council has a duty of care regarding staff’s well-being and takes these responsibilities seriously.

“We have various supporting measures to support staff while they are off and on their return to work.

“These include access to our Occupational Health Service and may include access to additional support such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

“All of this is supported by our Maximising Attendance Policy and our Human Resources team.” The issue of mental health is a major concern for those in the workplace, especially in the public sector where resources have been curbed significantly as of late.

The added pressure can often cause stress and other ailments to take hold, meaning the need to provide proper care for affected staff members cannot be underestimated.

Billy Watson, chief executive at mental health charity SAMH, said: “Ensuring a mentally healthy workplace should be a top priority for all organisations.

“Monitoring stress, anxiety and depression in the workplace is an annual activity with our staff team at SAMH.

“The public sector is the largest employer in Scotland and with one in six of their workforce likely to be affected by a mental health problem it is imperative that they too have the well-being policies and culture in place to support staff and managers.

“Providing timely and appropriate support can make a real difference to someone’s recovery and return to work.

“The social and economic costs associated with sickness and presenteeism are substantial, but avoidable with the right support in place.”