Posted 07 June 2023 - 05:00
Posted 07 June 2023 - 05:00
News
Long-COVID forcing thousands of nurses to take time off
Cases of long-COVID have led to extended periods of absence for many NHS staff, with latest figures for Scotland again shining a spotlight on the issue
Cases of long-COVID have led to extended periods of absence for many NHS staff, with latest figures for Scotland again shining a spotlight on the issue
Thousands of nurses have been forced to take time off due to long-COVID with the profession hardest hit by the disease, new figures reveal.
Freedom of information data for Scotland provided to the Scottish Liberal Democrats show at least 2,603 nurses, midwives and doctors in the country were recorded as having taken time off for long-COVID since 2020.
The majority of these absences were seen among nurses, with some 2,414 taking time off compared with 128 doctors and 61 midwives.
Call for more funding for support and care
But the total number is likely to be higher as NHS Forth Valley and NHS Western Isles did not provide information, while NHS Lothian provided data for whole-time equivalent staff absences.
Cases of long-COVID have also led to extended periods of absence for some NHS staff. NHS Grampian recorded the longest absence of 957 days, alongside an 882 day absence in NHS Fife and 798 days in NHS Highland.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton called on the Scottish Government to improve funding for support and care for those with long-COVID.
RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman said it is ‘no surprise’ nurses are the largest occupation affected given the challenges they faced during the pandemic.
‘Members are telling us too often that they are not getting the support they should from employers and are finding it difficult to access care and treatment,’ he added.
Nursing staff have questions they want answered
The college is urging members who worked during the pandemic to share their experiences with the Scottish COVID-19 pubic inquiry, which is running alongside the UK COVID-19 public inquiry.
RCN associate director Norman Provan said: ‘Nursing staff have questions they want answered. For instance, why were they too often left without adequate personal protective equipment and why did we go into the pandemic with such a depleted nursing workforce?’
For the two weeks ended 23 May, a daily average of 365 NHS staff in Scotland were absent due to COVID-related illness – 0.20% of the total workforce – according to the Scottish Government.
A spokesperson said £3 million from its £10 million long-COVID support fund is being made available this year to support NHS boards to increase capacity of existing services and develop a more coordinated experience of care.
Many nurses across the UK report poor support from their employers
‘We recognise the significant impact long COVID can have on the health and well-being of those most severely affected, and assessment and support is being provided across Scotland,’ they said.
Initiatives being supported by the funding include single points of access for assessment and coordinated support from services including physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated last year that the number of healthcare workers with long-COVID in the whole of the UK was around 156,000, while the Long COVID Nurses and Midwives UK action group said 10,000 nurses in England were experiencing long-COVID.
An analysis last year by Nursing Standard found many nurses across the UK were reporting poor support from their employers.
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