Thousands of nurses in Scotland ill with long Covid

More than 2,400 nurses in Scotland have been forced to take sick leave because of symptoms of long Covid since 2020, new figures have suggested, with one even off work for 957 days.

The figures have been obtained through freedom of information requests submitted by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

These found that, since 2020, a total of 2,414 nurses across 11 health boards have taken sick leave because of symptoms of long Covid. Of these, 1,165 nurses were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS health board.

The longest time a staff member had been off with long Covid was 957 days, with this person being located within NHS Grampian.

Another nurse in the NHS Fife area had been off for 882 days, one for 798 days in NHS Highland, and a further nurse in NHS Tayside had been absent for 792 days.

Scottish Liberal Democrats party leader and health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said the figures showed the Scottish Government was “not doing anywhere near enough” to deliver support and care for those with the illness.

“These astonishing figures are a damning verdict of the Scottish Government’s complete lack of care for long Covid victims,” he said.

“Long Covid is an enormously debilitating condition which disrupts and devastates lives. This nationalist government’s response has been so poor that many Scots would be better off moving to England, where more robust care pathways are available.”

Cole-Hamilton called on first minister Humza Yousaf to improve funding for long Covid in Scotland but also to put in place more proactive support measures.

“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,” he said.

In response, a Scottish government spokesperson told reporters that ministers recognised the “significant impact long Covid can have on the health and wellbeing of those most severely affected” but that support for the symptoms of long Covid was being offered.

A total of £3m had been allocated for long Covid, which would “increase the capacity of existing services, develop these into more clearly defined local pathways and provide a more co-ordinated experience”, the spokesperson added.