Stress levels among hospital staff have risen so high they are threatening to overtake back pain as the biggest cause of sickness.

A report reveals 16 per cent of all working time lost at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath is caused by anxiety, debility or depression.

The disorders are now a close second to the aches and pains which traditionally cost the health profession the most time off each year. Bad backs, necks joints and limbs account for 21 per cent of days off.

Staff at the Princess Royal have faced continued uncertainty over its future, with health chiefs wanting to downgrade the casualty department.

The report, drawn up by Mid Sussex NHS Trust's director of personnel Ruth McAll, reveals 1,020 work days were lost between April and September through stress-related problems. That compared with 1476 lost from backache and other physical problems.

A spokeswoman for the Royal College of Nurses said: "Certainly nurses are taking on a lot more.

"There are nursing shortages, although the Government is doing some good work in asking nurses back to work. If staff are working on a ward where they are short of nurses that does put pressure on the others there.

"However, it is good that the trust is open about this and making the figures available to the public."

The figures are for all workers, including nurses, office staff, and estates workers.

The trust recently eased the pressure on nursing staff by recruiting 38 nurses from the Philippines.

It hopes they will not only ease the strain on other staff but mean it will not have to employ more costly bank workers.

Despite the figures, absences caused by depression represent only 0.56 per cent of all time worked by staff.

Overall losses of time represent 3.38 per cent of total hours worked by the staff.

And the report states the overall figures are slightly down on previous periods, where the last recorded figure was four per cent. Mrs McAll was in London and not available to comment further on her report.