Employment issues and sick pay

This wiki is intended for healthcare professionals and should not be considered medical advice.

Healthcare worker COVID-19 prevalence


Mutambudzi M, Niedwiedz C, Macdonald EB, et al (Online pub: 09 Dec 2020) Occupation and risk of severe COVID-19: prospective cohort study of 120 075 UK Biobank participants Occupational and Environmental Medicine. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2020-106731
 * Healthcare workers had a more than seven-fold higher risk of severe COVID-19; those working in social care and transport occupations had a two-fold higher risk.
 * Non-white essential workers had the highest risk of severe COVID-19 infection.

Raymond M Agius, Nathalie MacDermott. (18 Mar 2021) Covid-19 and workers’ protection: lessons to learn, and lessons overlooked. Occupational Medicine, 2021; kqab034, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqab034 "'Research commissioned by the HSE long before the pandemic and showing the overwhelming superiority of FFPs over surgical face masks in protecting against viral aerosols was not acted upon [7]. The HSE’s extant guidance before the pandemic recommending FFPs as minimum protection against biological agents seems to remain tacitly eschewed [8] in spite of calls to apply precautionary principles [8,9] in PPE especially in respect of HCWs.'"

March for Change Petition: Recognise long Covid as an occupational disease

NHS Employer COVID sickness absence policy
NHS Staff Council Executive, NHS Employers (June 2021). Management of long-term COVID-19 sickness absence

"Any sickness absence related to COVID-19 for AfC and medical staff should not be counted for the purposes of any sickness absence triggers or sickness management policies."

For further information, see this reference

A guidance dated 21 September 2020 stated "This scheme allows COVID-19 sickness to be paid at full pay for a period of 365 days without any consideration for previous non-COVID sickness or length of service entitlement." However, this may be subject to change.

Wales
The above policy initially applied to Wales too, as confirmed in a letter written by Vaughan Gething on 19 October 2020 [citation needed].

UPDATE initially published 27.01.21, revised 07.07.21 (applies from 1st Dec 2020) NHS CONFEDERATION FAQS link below. Covid no longer special absence, but now considered sickness absence with special provision,full pay 12 months. Longer potentially if start of absence predates Dec 2020. After 12 months, emplyers discretion if materially supports returning to work and/ or assist recovery. Longer phased return provision, on full pay (see A1e). There is also provisions set out if employees are requiring subsequent sick leave following a return to work having been initiated, when the full/half pay entitlements have been exhausted (see A1g). NHS Wales Frequently Asked Questions for NHS Managers and Employees Updated 25 August, 2021

If the above link doesn’t work, please see the main page on the NHS Confederation website here Frequently asked questions for NHS managers and employees

The above policy was updated in November 2021, extending full pay to all NHS employees off sick with long Covid until March 31st 2022. Long COVID - Post virus sickness absence – Health & Wellbeing and rehabilitation support (At the time of writing - 22 Nov 2021 - the FAQ is still due to be updated)

Scotland
"The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has confirmed that all employees who have contracted COVID-19 and are off sick should be on COVID Special Leave and should receive full pay until they return to work, for as long as these arrangements are in place."

GPs
GP online articles: "'Practices are able to apply for reimbursement to cover staff with long COVID via the £150m COVID fund. However, this funding has been allocated for several different purposes and only applies until the end of March. Guidance from NHS Employer states that clinicians with COVID-19 should receive 'full pay inclusive of all enhancements', but practices aren't contractually obliged to do this.'"
 * 1) Haynes L and Bostock N. Practices can use £150m COVID fund to hire locum GPs, BMA confirms - Requires registration
 * 2) Haynes L (19 Feb 2021) BMA backs MPs pushing for financial compensation for NHS staff with long COVID.

If PCR test negative
“The sensitivity is contested with reports suggesting that it may be as low as 60–78%”


 * Public Health England - Management of confirmed/probable/possible COVID-19 cases- flowchart
 * Also see BMJ Best Practice article for criteria

Early retirement on health grounds
Ill health retirement: What are the qualification criteria? Unbiased (website).

Further Resources

 * NHS Employers update recording COVID-19 sickness
 * NHS Employers: Supporting recovery after long COVID
 * NHS Employers (22 June 2021) Supporting your NHS colleagues with long COVID (webinar)
 * Report COVID-19 as a work-related injury/disease/danger
 * NHS T&Cs - sickness absence - section 14
 * NHS T&Cs = injury allowance - section 22
 * Claiming access to work during the coronavirus period - DWP leaflet
 * Gov.UK Access to work/getting support if you have a disability

Occupational Medicine journal articles:


 * RIDDOR and COVID: COVID-19 and Health at Work. Raymond Agius. Occupational Medicine, Volume 70, Issue 5, July 2020, Pages 349–351, https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa075
 * Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study. Nguyen, L. H. et al. (31 July 2020). The Lancet Public Health doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30164-X

Leaflets on returning to work:

The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM):
 * COVID-19 Return to Work Guide: for Recovering Workers. February 2021.
 * COVID-19 Return to Work Guide: for Managers

= References =