The Government will cut special sick pay for NHS staff not working with Covid from next week – even as cases rise – The Independent has learned.
The Department of Health and Social Care is set to announce an end to the increased pay conditions granted during the pandemic, meaning employees who go off sick with Covid or prolonged Covid will be subject to normal sick pay rules.
Nursing leaders hit back, claiming the move was “disrespectful and unfair” to NHS staff who are disproportionately likely to be affected by Covid.
In response to the pandemic, the government has announced special arrangements for staff to be paid if they are in isolation due to Covid, and to receive a full 12 months’ wages if they suffer from prolonged Covid.
The arrangements will now revert to normal NHS sick pay rules, which give workers six months of full pay and six months of half pay.
A senior health source said: “They have agreed to end the arrangement for new people from next week and then have a lead-in period where people who are not currently on this type of scheme move back into normal entitlement sick since September.’
The Independent understands that the return to old arrangements will apply to anyone experiencing a new episode of Covid or Long Covid from next Thursday [7 July].
It comes after Covid infections rose by almost 30 per cent in the past week, with an average of 285,507 newly infected with the virus each day. There are currently almost 2.3 million cases, according to the Office for National Statistics.
This week, The Independent revealed that hospitals across the country have reversed decisions taken just weeks ago to ban masks in response to a surge in Covid cases.
The director of the Royal College of Nursing for England, Patricia Marquis, speaking about the cuts to sick pay, said: “This decision is extremely disappointing given that Covid-19 has clearly not gone away and nursing staff continue to be disproportionately affected from the virus as they face a higher risk of exposure.
“We know that many of our members are suffering from prolonged Covid, their lives being adversely affected, making them unable to work. Faced with the threat of losing full sickness benefit if they fall ill due to a condition that some might argue is an occupational hazard is negligent and unfair.
“This is yet another indication of how little this government values its medical staff. NHS pay is barely making ends meet at the best of times and this will be another blow to some struggling with health problems linked to Covid-19.”
Earlier this month, The Independent reported findings from The Pharmaceutical Journal revealing that 10,000 NHS staff were sick with long-term Covid during the pandemic.
The Office for National Statistics previously found that health and medical workers have the highest rates of prolonged Covid, which experts say suggests an increased occupational risk from the virus.
Dr Elaine Maxwell of Long Covid Support has warned that the plan to return to normal sick pay arrangements for long Covid staff is “short sighted”.
She said: “I think it’s really short-sighted when we can see that for many people the long Covid has been going on for over a year. Long Covid data up to early May this year showed 376,000 people had been sick for more than two years. So that must mean they were infected in the first wave. Given that subsequent waves were much larger in terms of the number of people infected, then we may see an increasing number of people who have sustained Covid for more than a year.
“The NHS is already in a recruitment crisis and therefore the loss of large numbers of people who are of working age and who may recover from prolonged Covid in the longer term is an economic disaster.”
In 2022-23, responsibility for funding the increased sickness benefit rate fell to NHS trusts, while employers previously received national funding to support it.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation, said: “This is a sensible step given where we are now in relation to the pandemic. The NHS provides a very fair entitlement to sickness benefit and organizations will explain to employees the implications of this decision based on their individual circumstances.
“However, as we learn to live with Covid in the long term and as more people are diagnosed with long-term Covid, health leaders will be urging the Government to look at the wider package of support available to people who remain disabled.”
The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
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