Special paid leave for Covid sickness and isolation scrapped for NHS workers
Posted: 02 Jul 2022, 20:57
https://nursingnotes.co.uk/news/special ... s-workers/
The news comes as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have started to rise again.
Episodes of sickness or isolation are currently fully paid and do not count toward sickness absence triggers.
“Special” paid leave for Covid-19-related sickness and isolation will be scrapped later this month, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.
Withdrawl of the NHS staff terms and conditions section of the COVID-19 workforce guidance will occur later this month, reverting how sickness absence and self-isolation will be managed for NHS staff in England back to pre-pandemic arrangements.
Currently, episodes of sickness absence related to Covid-19 are fully paid for all workers, regardless of their length of service, and do not count towards sickness absence triggers.
From July 7, access to the “special” paid leave provision for self-isolation and dedicated sick pay for new episodes of Covid-19 will come to an end.
Reverting to pre-pandemic terms.
This means that all NHS staff will revert to normal contractual sick pay arrangements, and any absence from work will likely count towards sickness absence triggers.
Staff currently away from work with a Covid-19-related illness will be subject to a transition period from July 7 to August 31. NHS managers are being advised to meet with staff to explain this timeline.
The news comes as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have started to rise again.
Further guidance about the changes will be developed by NHS Staff Council and shared with trusts in the coming days.
NHS workers in Wales will be subject to similar changes, while the HSC in Northern Ireland has not yet announced any changes.
Neglectful and unfair.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned the changes are “neglectful and unfair”.
RCN England Director Patricia Marquis said, “This decision is hugely disappointing given that COVID-19 clearly hasn’t gone away, and nursing staff continue to be disproportionately affected by the virus as they face higher risk of exposure.
“We know many of our members are suffering from long COVID, with their lives adversely affected making them unable to work. Facing the threat of losing full sick pay should they remain off sick from a condition some could argue is an occupational hazard, is neglectful and unfair.
“It’s another indication of how little the UK government values its nursing staff. NHS pay is barely enough to make ends meet at the best of times, and this will be another blow for some struggling with COVID-19-related health issues.”
The news comes as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have started to rise again.
Episodes of sickness or isolation are currently fully paid and do not count toward sickness absence triggers.
“Special” paid leave for Covid-19-related sickness and isolation will be scrapped later this month, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.
Withdrawl of the NHS staff terms and conditions section of the COVID-19 workforce guidance will occur later this month, reverting how sickness absence and self-isolation will be managed for NHS staff in England back to pre-pandemic arrangements.
Currently, episodes of sickness absence related to Covid-19 are fully paid for all workers, regardless of their length of service, and do not count towards sickness absence triggers.
From July 7, access to the “special” paid leave provision for self-isolation and dedicated sick pay for new episodes of Covid-19 will come to an end.
Reverting to pre-pandemic terms.
This means that all NHS staff will revert to normal contractual sick pay arrangements, and any absence from work will likely count towards sickness absence triggers.
Staff currently away from work with a Covid-19-related illness will be subject to a transition period from July 7 to August 31. NHS managers are being advised to meet with staff to explain this timeline.
The news comes as Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions have started to rise again.
Further guidance about the changes will be developed by NHS Staff Council and shared with trusts in the coming days.
NHS workers in Wales will be subject to similar changes, while the HSC in Northern Ireland has not yet announced any changes.
Neglectful and unfair.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned the changes are “neglectful and unfair”.
RCN England Director Patricia Marquis said, “This decision is hugely disappointing given that COVID-19 clearly hasn’t gone away, and nursing staff continue to be disproportionately affected by the virus as they face higher risk of exposure.
“We know many of our members are suffering from long COVID, with their lives adversely affected making them unable to work. Facing the threat of losing full sick pay should they remain off sick from a condition some could argue is an occupational hazard, is neglectful and unfair.
“It’s another indication of how little the UK government values its nursing staff. NHS pay is barely enough to make ends meet at the best of times, and this will be another blow for some struggling with COVID-19-related health issues.”