NHS staff covid cases underline urgency of vaccine rollout, says UNISON

Half of all staff absences are Covid related

Close up photo of person wearing surgical face ma
Responding to the publication today (Thursday) by NHS England of the latest staff absence figures, which show half of cases are now covid-related, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:  

“These stark figures confirm what exhausted health workers already know – the NHS is under overwhelming strain.

“Staffing levels were already low pre-pandemic. Now employees are suffering the consequences. They’re having to deal with excessive workloads as colleagues go sick or self-isolate.

“This underlines the urgency of the vaccine rollout. It’s also essential that staff who fall ill receive ongoing support.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Garfield Myrie M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk