30,000 working days at hospitals lost during first months of pandemic
More than 30,000 working days at hospital trusts across the Black Country and Staffordshire were lost because of coronavirus during the first few months of the pandemic.
The Royal College of Nursing warned hospitals can "ill-afford to lose more staff" amid the predicted second wave, warning that rapid testing must be a priority as cases start to rise once more.
NHS Digital data shows 11,746 working days were lost due to Covid-19 absence at Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust between March and May, at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust this figure was 14,640, at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust it was 4,456, at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust it was 234 and the figure was 93 at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
It means the virus was responsible for 26 per cent of the 43,612 total days lost due to sickness over the three months at Wolverhampton's trust, 33 per cent of 43,673 days at Sandwell and West Birmingham's trust, 17 per cent of 26,711 days at Walsall trust, one per cent of 19,690 days at Dudley's trust and 0.5 per cent of 54,432 days at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
The figures include staff who contracted the virus, as well as those who had to quarantine because a family member showed symptoms, because of travel restrictions or because they had been advised to by contact tracers.
They do not show how many NHS staff were affected.
The NHS has urged caution over the figures, as trusts were not required to use the new coronavirus absence code or instructed on how to use it when it was introduced in March.
Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said it was not clear how many of the absences were avoidable.
She said: “These figures show how the real impact of Covid-19 on NHS staff absences continued into the summer even as the initial surge in cases abated.
"Providing a safe environment for staff and patients is an absolute priority for trusts which is why capacity for regular testing is so important."
The Royal College of Nursing's England director, Mike Adams, said some staff members are still reporting having to drive long distances for tests and delays in getting results.
"When wards and clinics are crying out for nursing staff, they can ill-afford to lose more staff. They must follow the self-isolation guidelines but only rapid and priority testing will get them back to work," he added.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently announced that staff providing acute clinical care would be prioritised for tests, followed by people in care homes and other NHS staff.
Wellbeing
A spokesman for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust said: “Staff have been working tirelessly over the past few months to ensure our NHS services remain open and patients are cared for safely.
“The health and wellbeing of our staff is a top priority, which is why all staff who present with symptoms of Covid-19, or who share a household with someone who shows symptoms, are told to self-isolate and arrange for testing - in line with the Government guidance.
“We continue to take precautionary steps - such as the wearing of masks while on-site, hand washing and social distancing - in order to protect staff while at work and to limit the spread of the virus.
“It’s vital that all people, NHS staff and otherwise, continue to follow Government guidelines and help prevent unnecessary pressure on NHS services.”
Ro Vaughan, director of human resources at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust said: “At the start of the pandemic we were asking staff to isolate if they or their family had any of the symptoms associated with Covid-19 in line with Government guidance at the time, this had already started before the use of a new Covid-19 absence code was introduced.
"There has since been a significant reduction in staff sickness since the start of the pandemic and the current levels of sickness at UHNM is comparable to the same period last year.
“The health and wellbeing of our staff is a priority at any time, but particularly during a pandemic we have put a significant amount of effort into supporting staff health and well-being with the provision of a well-being toolkit, summarising all of the current offerings for staff psychological support and emotional wellbeing as well as how to access staff Covid-19 testing.”
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust were asked to comment.
