A scheme where workers are forced to check in with nurses before they can take a sick day will not be introduced in Dundee, the city council has insisted.
The scheme is being used 17 NHS trusts and some private sector businesses in England, where it has reduced sickness rates by around 26%.
Tory finance spokesman Derek Brownlee said public bodies in Scotland should review their methods of reducing sickness absence or adopt the scheme.
Mr Brownlee said, “In very simple terms, if you are off sick you don’t phone your line manager first of all. You phone a call centre, which is staffed by mainly nurses and people who are clinically trained.
“They will assess you in terms of what treatment might be required.”
Mr Brownlee said the scheme had improved the reporting of absence as well as helping secure treatment to help staff “get better quicker.”
He added, “It is something that could be done relatively quickly it’s certainly something that could be done within this financial year.”
According to Mr Brownlee, the average sickness rate at some public sector organisations is 15 days per year compared to the private sector’s 6.4.
He said reducing public sector sickness absence by an average of two days could save around £138 million per year and added, “It is a pretty important way of controlling costs in the public sector.”
However, Dundee City Council has confirmed it has no plans to introduce the scheme.
A spokesman said, “It is estimated that the annual cost of sickness absence to Dundee City Council is around £6 million.
“From the start of September, Dundee City Council has been operating a new sickness absence management procedure, and this is being closely monitored.
“The aim is to reduce levels of sickness absence and the associated cost to the council.”
Photo used under a Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user RLHyde.