Pandemic causes NHS sickness absence to hit record high

[Northerner]

The intense stresses and strains of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic sparked the highest rates of sickness absence rate among NHS staff in England in more than a decade, according to latest data.

Figures released by NHS Digital revealed that the monthly sickness rate hit 6.2% in April 2020 – up from 5.4% the month before. This was the highest level recorded, in data that goes back to April 2009.

About 2.3 million full-time equivalent days of work were lost out of a total of nearly 36.6 million during April. This compared with 1.4 million lost out of nearly 35 million in the same month last year.

The worst-hit region was London, where the sickness rate increased to 7.2%. This compared with a rate of 4% in January, when London had the lowest rate of any English region.

Pandemic causes NHS sickness absence to hit record high

The intense stresses and strains of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic sparked the highest rates of sickness absence among NHS staff in England in more

www.personneltoday.com

 

[trophywench]

That's not a surprise then is it! They hadn't even got hospitals re-organised into Covid areas and non Covid ones let alone the staff strictly segregated and suchlike to begin with, hence if you felt 'off' when you got out of bed this morning, yes you would stay away if you had any sense.

Thing that's annoying us both at the moment is that our GP surgery resembles Fort Knox. Pete's having trouble with his breathing, he's got COPD and only 51% lung capacity so it doesn't take much to affect it, and he decided he needs to see the doc to review what he needs to do/not do. So he rang yesterday am and was told no appts available, ring back at lunchtime. So he did and spent half an hour constantly re-dialling before he could get other than 'this line is busy please call back' - spoke to the receptionist and got the same message, which he cut off saying, Hang on Lovey - my problem is I am having trouble breathing ! so she said she'd speak to a doc and ring him back.

The 'After Hours Doctor Service' would ring him at 7.50 last evening and they did. They said he needed to be referred back to the hospital to speak to at least a COPD specialist nurse if not a consultant, so they'd get this organised via our usual surgery and if nothing herd to ring our surgery next week to see what they'd done about the referral. This morning had a text from our GP telling him to ring and book a COPD check so he did and took the first available appt on 24 September. So that's 3 weeks away. It still isn't with anyone able to change his prescription though as the surgery nurses do the checks.

 

[Northerner]

That's not a surprise then is it! They hadn't even got hospitals re-organised into Covid areas and non Covid ones let alone the staff strictly segregated and suchlike to begin with, hence if you felt 'off' when you got out of bed this morning, yes you would stay away if you had any sense.

Thing that's annoying us both at the moment is that our GP surgery resembles Fort Knox. Pete's having trouble with his breathing, he's got COPD and only 51% lung capacity so it doesn't take much to affect it, and he decided he needs to see the doc to review what he needs to do/not do. So he rang yesterday am and was told no appts available, ring back at lunchtime. So he did and spent half an hour constantly re-dialling before he could get other than 'this line is busy please call back' - spoke to the receptionist and got the same message, which he cut off saying, Hang on Lovey - my problem is I am having trouble breathing ! so she said she'd speak to a doc and ring him back.

The 'After Hours Doctor Service' would ring him at 7.50 last evening and they did. They said he needed to be referred back to the hospital to speak to at least a COPD specialist nurse if not a consultant, so they'd get this organised via our usual surgery and if nothing herd to ring our surgery next week to see what they'd done about the referral. This morning had a text from our GP telling him to ring and book a COPD check so he did and took the first available appt on 24 September. So that's 3 weeks away. It still isn't with anyone able to change his prescription though as the surgery nurses do the checks.

I hope things improve for him.

 

[trophywench]

Thanks Alan - I delivered the letter asking for Libre sensors on repeat scrip this morning - so wonder when they might get around to dealing with it! That was hard because they said I had to come to the front door, but since they don't have a letterbox ...... anyway as we drew up one of the nurses happened to be letting someone out so I called her name - and walked over to her (mask on!) and handed it to her. Mission accomplished, the only other way of getting them to come to the door is to ring when you get there so you could be standing there for half an hour or more like Pete was waiting. No doorbell or intercom.

 

[grovesy]

My surgery are not using the front door.

 

[Amity Island]

The intense stresses and strains of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic sparked the highest rates of sickness absence rate among NHS staff in England in more than a decade, according to latest data.

Figures released by NHS Digital revealed that the monthly sickness rate hit 6.2% in April 2020 – up from 5.4% the month before. This was the highest level recorded, in data that goes back to April 2009.

About 2.3 million full-time equivalent days of work were lost out of a total of nearly 36.6 million during April. This compared with 1.4 million lost out of nearly 35 million in the same month last year.

The worst-hit region was London, where the sickness rate increased to 7.2%. This compared with a rate of 4% in January, when London had the lowest rate of any English region.

Pandemic causes NHS sickness absence to hit record high

The intense stresses and strains of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic sparked the highest rates of sickness absence among NHS staff in England in more

www.personneltoday.com

Hi Northerner

Did that headline confuse you too about April having the highest sick rate in ambulance and A&E staff?

When in March and April the ambulance service and A&E had probably their quietest time in years, perhaps ever. Not to mention all the empty private hospitals and all the empty G.P surgeries.

March was the quietest month in A&E at NHS hospitals for a DECADE

Casualty departments in England recorded just 1.53million attendances last month, down 430,000 - 22 per cent - on February, according to data released by NHS England.

www.dailymail.co.uk

April was the quietest EVER month in A&E in England

The number of visits to emergency departments in English hospitals dropped below one million for the first time ever in April, with doctors concerned people are avoiding hospitals despite serious illness.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Coronavirus: Private hospitals sit empty as waiting lists for surgery grow

Ministers have been accused of wasting hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on private hospitals that are sitting almost completely idle.Consultants say that most private hospitals are either empty or hosting only a trickle of NHS patients since being taken over at the start of the p

www.thetimes.co.uk

 

[trophywench]

Well before that, A&E had far far more hangers on than patients, in the waiting rooms, so people simply didn't realise that by then, they were practically deserted. Plus as I said the hospitals did not, to begin with, have proper segregation between infection free areas and barrier nursing areas, hence you might go in with a broken leg and catch the ruddy lurgy whilst you were in there - and the News was full of those horror stories.

Mind you I did say at the time, where the heck are all the people having heart attacks at the moment?