More than 2,400 nurses off work with Long Covid

A call for more support and care for people suffering from Long Covid, particularly medical staff, has come from the Liberal Democrats following the revelation that over 2400 nurses were absent from work due to Long Covid.

A freedom of information request submitted by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that since 2020:  

• 2,414 nurses across 11 health boards have taken sick leave due to Long Covid.
• 248 nurses in Lanarkshire and 1,165 nurses in Greater Glasgow & Clyde have taken sick leave due to Long Covid.
• The longest time a staff member had been off with Long Covid was 957 days in NHS Grampian, 882 days in NHS Fife, 798 days in NHS Highland and 792 days in NHS Tayside.

South Lanarkshire Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Robert Brown said:

“Long Covid is an enormously debilitating condition which disrupts and devastates lives. It has not received the attention in Scotland that it has in England and Wales, despite their being an estimated 172,000 sufferers.

Apart from the personal and family pressures, the loss of staff resources to the NHS is enormous.

Nurses and other Long Covid sufferers cannot afford to be put on hold any longer without solutions. These sky-high absences must propel the Scottish Government into action. Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling on the SNP/Green Government to improve funding for Long Covid. In Scotland the Government spends £17 per person on Long Covid sufferers – In England it is £122 per person and in Wales £106 per person.

We need to see dedicated Long Covid clinics set up across the country and Scotland-wide access to physiotherapy and multi-disciplinary rehab. Otherwise, nurses and their patients will pay the price.”  

ENDS  

Notes to editors:    

You can find the full set of figures in the Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request here  

The figures uncovered by Scottish Liberal Democrats comparing the levels of support for Long Covid in Scotland, England and Wales are as follows:  

2021/22 Long Covid spend     2022/23 Long Covid Spend  Total per head  Current sufferers

ENGLAND    £100 million                   £90 million                   £122 per person             1,560,000

WALES             £5 million                   £5 million                    £106 per person              94,000

SCOTLAND        £0                            £3 million                     £17 per person               172,000