Our Ref:         FOI-2081-2021

Thank you for your request received on 16 January 2021 asking for information about staff mental health.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we do hold the information you require.

We take the mental health of our staff very seriously and are continuously working hard to create a culture that reduces the stigma around mental health. As well as adopting a preventative approach, we want to make sure any staff member facing mental health issues gets the support they need, which can sometimes mean they take sick leave.

We are continuing to look at how we measure and manage the effect of change on health and wellbeing as TfL strives to be become more efficient. This is why as well as supporting campaigns like Time to Change, we have a range of support in place, including a dedicated mental health team, a confidential 24/7 telephone helpline and mental health first aider training.

You asked:

1. How many TFL staff have taken time off work due to mental health reasons from March 2020 to January 2021? Can you please break this data down by month.

Please find the requested information in the table below. Please note that the figures provided are the total for each month, some members of staff will have illnesses that continue for more than a month so will also be included in the following month’s figures. Some staff may also only be off for short periods within the month.

  Number of Employees Off Per Month
2020 March 424
 April 326
 May 271
 June 270
 July 303
 August 313
 September 358
 October 407
 November 435
 December 413
2021 January 376

2. How much money has TFL spent on mental health support for its staff from March 2020 to January 2021?

We utilise employee feedback, data and insight reports to target the spend on mental health support. We offer a wide range of mental health support for employees through a stepped care framework as detailed below:

• Level one - promoting employee mental wellbeing and prevention of distress through ongoing company communications about self- management tools, booklets and guidance on mental health and apps designed to improve mental health such as Headspace.
• Level two – providing online trainings and e-learnings on resilience, stress management, mental health awareness, managing mental health in teams to support employees during challenging times. All employees have access to transport specific MIND e-learning and managers have MIND e-learning for managers.
• Level three – support and treatment for employees experiencing mental health problems through the Employee Assistance Programme and specialist trauma counselling provided by Occupational Health.

Between March 20- Jan 21 we have spent a total of £154,728.16 (pro-rata) on staff mental health and support. This includes the production of trauma booklets, Mind Training for employees and managers, as well as Wellbeing Insight Report. Please note that this figure does not include staffing costs for our Occupational Health department which includes the Counselling and Wellbeing Staff as we are not able to separate the time spent on mental health and support from other work that they may be carrying out as part of their roles.

If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
Senior FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]