The Department of Health and Social Care is to announce the end of enhanced pay arrangements provided during the pandemic, meaning staff with either Covid or long-term Covid will be subject to normal sick pay rules. Nursing leaders have hit back, arguing the move is “negligent and unfair” to NHS staff, who are disproportionately likely to be affected by Covid. In response to the pandemic, the government announced special arrangements to pay staff in isolation due to Covid and receive a full 12 months’ salary if they suffered 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 healthcare source said: “They have agreed to end the arrangement for new people from next week and then have a phase-in period where people who are currently on this kind of scheme will go back to their normal sick pay entitlement 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 as Covid infections rose by almost 30 per cent in the past week, with an average of 285,507 contracting 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 had reversed decisions made just weeks ago to abandon mask use in response to a surge in Covid cases. The director of the Royal College of Nursing for England, Patricia Marquis, speaking about the sick pay cut, said: “This decision is extremely disappointing given that Covid-19 is clearly not gone and nursing staff continue to be disproportionately affected by the virus as they face a higher risk of exposure. “We know that many of our members are suffering from prolonged Covid, with their lives being negatively affected, making them unable to work. To face the threat of losing full sick pay if they remain ill from a condition that some might argue is an occupational hazard is negligent and unfair. “It’s another indication of how little this government values its nursing staff. NHS pay is barely enough to get by at the best of times and this will be another blow to some struggling with health issues related to Covid-19.” Earlier this month, The Independent reported findings from The Pharmaceutical Journal revealing that 10,000 NHS staff were ill with years of Covid during the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics has previously found that health and care workers have the highest rates of long-term Covid, which experts said indicated an increased occupational risk from the virus. Dr Elaine Maxwell, from Long Covid Support, warned that the plan to return to normal sick pay arrangements for long Covid staff was “short-sighted”. He said: “I think this is really short-sighted when we can see, for many people, Covid lasts more than a year. Long-term Covid data up to early May this year showed 376,000 people had been sick for more than two years. That must have meant they were infected in the first wave. Since the subsequent waves were much larger in terms of the number of people infected, then we can see an increasing number of people with long Covid for more than a year. “The NHS is already in a recruitment crisis and so the loss of large numbers of people of working age who may recover from Covid in the long term is a financial disaster.” In 2022-23, responsibility for funding the increased rate of sick pay fell to NHS trusts, whereas employers previously received national funding to support it. Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, a member of the NHS Confederation, said: “This is a logical step given where we are now in relation to the pandemic. The NHS provides a very fair entitlement to sick pay and organizations will explain to staff 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, healthcare leaders will urge the Government to consider the wider package of support available to people who remain unable to work.” The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.
