To add to their woes, an estimated five to ten thousand NHS staff are about to see their pay halved this month as a result of them still being off work with Long Covid.
A special sick pay rule was introduced early on in the pandemic, to provide Covid sick pay for staff directly employed by NHS Trusts (but not others, such as GPs or agency staff). Under this rule, no matter how long they were off work due to Covid, they would get full pay and benefits. This month, they enter a six month transition, which will see those salaries halved, with a correlating impact on their benefits. This is designed to gradually bring them back in line with standard sick pay entitlements. Since July 2021, staff experiencing any new episodes of Covid 19 have already been made subject to their normal contractual terms and conditions.
Rachel Hext, a 35 year old nurse at a small community hospital in Brixham, Devon, hit the headlines when she decided to tell her story. She has been unable to work for more than two years after developing Long Covid. She contracted the virus in October 2020, after caring for Covid patients. She has since experienced symptoms of chest pain, brain fog, fatigue, joint pain, allergies, heart problems, sinus issues and hearing loss. She’s not sure she will ever be the same again. In view of the sick pay changes, she has applied for an NHS Injury Allowance. This provides support for staff who sustain an injury, disease or other health condition, which is attributable to their employment. Countries such as Australia, Canada and China have already designated Covid as an occupational disease, entitling those affected in those countries to financial support. Layla Moran, who chairs a cross-party group of politicians, is calling for the same approach to be adopted within the UK. This is looking more likely given the findings of an inquest reached in the middle of January. This concluded that two nurses, who worked at separate hospitals in Cardiff and Penarth, had died due to an industrial disease after it was “more likely than not” that they died after having been exposed to Covid whilst at work.
In 2021, a Covid 19 inquiry was launched to deal with the accusations from Unions that the government had failed to support health staff who worked during the coronavirus pandemic. In May of this year, evidence will be taken to examine these issues. Sir John Burn, Chair of the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, has stated that the ongoing impact of Long Covid on NHS workers is contributing to the strain on the health service and adversely impacting efforts to clear the backlog resulting from earlier treatment delays.
