All public bodies should record staff mental health absences, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said.

The party believes having a duty to collect data on how many staff take time off for mental health reasons would help improve treatment of the issue in the workplace.

Party health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton wants non-departmental public bodies to lead the way.

He said: “Around one in three people are estimated to be affected by mental ill health in any one year but there are big gaps in how resulting absences are recorded across the public sector.

“That’s why I am calling for all non-departmental public bodies to record staff absences due to mental health reasons, as part of a much bigger stepchange in how we treat mental health.”

He added: “Not only will this allow us to paint a more accurate picture of the impact of mental ill health issues, but it will also hopefully open the door to more fruitful conversations about how we boost mental wellbeing and provision in the workplace.

“All public bodies and big businesses should be including information on mental health in their annual reports.

“Transparency will help drive up standards, encourage the sharing of best practice and help make them better employers.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are absolutely clear that mental ill health should be prevented and treated with the same commitment and drive as we do physical health, and this also applies to staff welfare.

“While non departmental public bodies have full responsibility for their staff and recording absences, we provide funding to NHS Health Scotland to deliver programmes that support staff mental health needs.

“These programmes highlight the legal duty of care employers have to support the mental health of employees as well as offering practical support for people.”