A Survey by Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition, in partnership with Thompsons Solicitors

(Correspondence to scothealthcareworkerscoalition[at]gmail[dot]com)
Date of publication: 8th April 2024

Executive Summary

When Covid-19 emerged in early 2020, Health and Social Care staff were at increasing risk of contracting Covid-19 and of subsequently developing Long Covid or other post-Covid illness. Staff were inadequately protected from contracting Covid-19 and were often exposed to higher viral loads; this was in part due to lack of preparedness, poor risk assessment and inadequate guidance at all levels of the system.

Those impacted by Long Covid or other post-Covid illness have been poorly supported by their employers, including experiencing stigma and discrimination. Workplaces havefailed to adequately support those with chronic health issues and disabilities resulting from Covid-19, in order for them to continue to contribute to the workforce. Furthermore, a significant number of workers are so severely affected that they are unable to carry out essential daily living, let alone remain in employment. Many are struggling financially, have lost their jobs and are at risk of losing, or have already lost their homes. Compensation schemes, injury allowances and ill-health pensions have
not been made available appropriately. In addition to the personal cost of chronic illness, there is also a wider societal economic impact; a large proportion of respondents are now no longer able to contribute to the workforce and rely on state benefits.

The provision of health services for those with Long Covid has been patchy and inconsistent across Scotland. Existing services are inadequate, primarily focusing on rehabilitation without an attempt to treat underlying pathology. The political and societal desire to move on from the events, hardships, and subsequent traumas of the
first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic is short-sighted and has led to inadequate ongoing risk mitigation. Current mitigations within health and social care, and in wider society, are lacking and continue to put both the health and social care workforce and wider population at risk of further unnecessary harm.

Recommendations:

• Long Covid should be recognised as an occupational disease.
• Workplace-acquired infections, including Covid-19, should be reported under the RIDDOR process.
• Covid-19 remains prevalent and as such health and social care workers continue to be exposed. Mitigations are required to ensure that staff and patients are breathing clean air in health and social care settings, thereby minimising workplace exposure to Co vid-19. This should be done by improving ventilation, the use of filtration devices and the use of high grade Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).
• Public Health messaging should warn society about the ongoing risks of Covid-19 and Long Covid, so that informed decisions can be made.
• Robust multi-disciplinary Occupational Health services should be funded andaccessible to all health and social care staff.
• Employees with ongoing chronic illness and disability should be supported to rejoin the workforce using flexible approaches that accommodate the fluctuating nature of Long Covid. Organisations should value the contributions that can be made by staff with Long Covid. There needs to be an increased awareness and understanding of Long Covid among managers and colleagues.
• Union representatives should be trained to understand Long Covid. It would be beneficial if the unions could work alongside employers and their members to ensure workplace support is appropriate. Where it is not, unions should offer support to their members to undertake legal proceedings with the aim of building case law.
• Specialist Long Covid services should be commissioned and funded throughout Scotland for both health and social care staff and the wider population who are living with Long Covid and post-Covid illness.
• Scotland should fund and enable its clinical researchers to collaborate with both United Kingdom (UK)-wide and international Long Covid research.
• Financial support and compensation should be made available to health and social care workers who have caught Covid-19 in the workplace and have subsequently developed long term illness and disability. This should include Ill-health retirement, Personal Injury claims, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and NHS Injury Allowance where applicable.
• Information about financial support should be made more readily available. Similar to the process applied for Military Injury Compensation, health and social care workers injured as a result of their job should be supported to maintain financial stability, enabling them to keep their own homes. This is particularly pertinent to those who were, and continue to be, inadequately protected.