Question reference: S6W-08295
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 19 May 2022
-
Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 July 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-07727 by Humza Yousaf on 22 April 2022, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what continuing pay arrangements NHS Scotland staff, who are experiencing prolonged absence from work specifically due to long COVID, are currently entitled to, and what changes it plans to make to these arrangements.
Answer
From March 2020, a series of Temporary Special Leave Measures (specifically through https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2020)05.pdf and https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2020)30.pdf )were introduced to both support NHS Colleagues and assist in the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading across our NHS Sites.
In particular:
• Since March 2020, NHS Staff who have been absent due to COVID-19 have been paid in full as if they had been at work; and,
• Those absences have not counted towards normal sickness absence triggers for those staff.
As we are now at a different stage in dealing with COVID-19 it was confirmed (on 24 June), and in broad alignment with other UK Nations, that all Temporary Covid Policies (including Special Leave) will be removed ( https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2022)21.pdf) .
In particular, from 1 September 2022, NHS colleagues who are absent due to COVID-19 will revert to contractual sick leave entitlement.
I can confirm that on that date, no-one will see their Sick Pay stop with the vast majority receiving six months full pay followed by six months half pay.