Abandoning Covid’s special permit for NHS staff is “completely unacceptable” and will put patients and healthcare workers at risk, the British Medical Association has warned.
As of July 7, the government plans to withdraw the special leave paid for illness and isolation related to Covid-19 for NHS staff in England, meaning they will return to normal sick pay contractual arrangements.
Periods of absence for Covid are paid in full for all NHS workers at this time, regardless of seniority.
Professor Raymond Agius, co-chair of the BMA’s occupational medicine committee, said the decision to end it “is completely unacceptable and will put patients and healthcare workers at risk”.
“NHS staff are confident in this special Covid leave so that they can recover effectively and return to work safely,” he said.
“Removing this support is not safe for patient care and pressuring people to go back to work, which will ultimately do it, is frightening and proves once again that the government doesn’t care about health and well-being NHS staff “.
He added that not only will it force many of the staff to continue working if they are symptomatic, but it can have a “significant impact” on their livelihoods if they develop a long Covid.
“At a time when we are seeing a rapid rise in infection rates across the country, the risk to staff remains very high,” Agius said. “However, the government has removed many of the routine protections in healthcare settings and does not provide adequate protection and support to physicians.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also criticized the measure.
Patricia Marquis, director of RCN England, said: “We know that many of our members suffer from a long Covid, with their lives negatively affected, making them unable to work.
“Facing the threat of losing full pay for illness if they remain ill for a condition that some might argue is an occupational hazard, is negligent and unfair. It is another indication of how little the UK government values its nursing staff “.
Agius has called for a “long-term strategy” to deal with Covid-19 that “relies on proper research, data collection and long-term investment” that should include “financial improvement and support wider for those who can’t work because of the long Covid ”. .
The BMA said it supports the calls of the parliamentary group of all parties for the coronavirus for a compensation plan for front-line workers.
The latest figures from the National Statistics Office show that 2.3 million people in the UK (or one in 30) have the virus, up 32% from the previous week.
This increase is being driven by two new fast-spreading Omicron subvariants called BA.4 and BA.5.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “As we learn to live with Covid, we are withdrawing the temporary illness guide from NHS staff that was launched at the height of the pandemic, as part of plans to return to the normal provisions set out in the NHS terms and conditions.
“This provides generous support for NHS staff with up to six months full pay and six months half pay, depending on the length of service.”