Stress-busting tips for hospital, ambulance and council staff could disguise the root causes of worker misery, a union leader has warned.

Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton NHS Trust have both won government grants worth about £20,000 to tackle sickness and absenteeism.

The money will pay for outside consultants to offer advice on creating a better "work-life balance".

Other winners from the Department for Trade and Industry's (DTI) Challenge Fund are Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust, South Downs Health NHS Trust and Newhaven Community Development Association.

But Andy Richards, Brighton and Hove branch chairman of public sector union UNISON, said: "In principle we'd obviously welcome any attempt to deal with the problems of stress.

"But this kind of money would be better spent getting to the root causes, like under-staffing, poor office accommodation and bad technology, rather than just bringing in consultants."

The consultants, who will be paid the money direct from the DTI, will advise on a range of options to reduce stress.

Possible solutions could include more flexible working hours and job-sharing.

Sussex Ambulance Trust has absence levels of seven per cent, double the national average.

The trust has set a target of five per cent.

Ambulance staff complained about long hours in two recent surveys.

Steve Richards, personnel manager for Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust, said staff already decided between themselves how to organise shifts.

But he added: "For me the key issue is staff retention, which is lower than we'd like."

Total funding worth £4.8m was given to 233 projects across the country yesterday.

Announcing the grants yesterday, employment relations minister Alan Johnson said: "Work-life balance is not just about working less, it's about how, when and where people work."