450 council staff on sick leave over Covid-19 pandemic

Almost 450 council staff were unable to work at the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures released following a Freedom of Information request show the impact of the crisis - and the scale of the required response - in East Renfrewshire.

PPE orders reveal how millions of anti-bacterial wipes and hundreds of thousands of face masks have been bought for council staff.

Some council offices have been closed, with staff working from home.

Workers in facilities which remain open have been encouraged to work remotely where possible.

The number of council staff self- isolating, whether they were symptomatic or had an underlying health condition, peaked in the week beginning April 6, at 468.

It dropped below 400 for the first time since the lockdown was announced, on March 23, in the last week of April.

The figure fell to 352 in the first two weeks of May but has increased slightly since then, with 372 people in self-isolation by the week beginning June 1.

The number of staff on sick leave has been lower as some workers who were self-isolating have been able to continue in their role.

Figures relating to the pandemic, which include those who are isolating and cannot work due to the symptoms and the nature of their job, show 446 staff were off in the week beginning March 30.

The number of people on sick leave decreased every week between the end of March and the end of May, when 214 people were absent.

‘ Well- being champions’ were appointed by the council to help staff “manage different ways of working and how to look after your physical and mental health”.

The number of children attending schools during the pandemic increased week on week since March 30 when 316 pupils attended.

By the week beginning May 18, there were 610 students using schools in East Renfrewshire, rising to more than 700 at the start of this month.

The average number of teaching staff per day was 89 by the week beginning June 1. It had been 56 at the lowest point on March 30.

A recent report on the pandemic, by the council’s chief executive Lorraine McMillan, said: “The hub schools have become well established with staff from all of the primary schools and early years settings within each community working together on a rota basis to ensure appropriate levels of cover in each of the hubs.”

Figures also show the council ordered 2,500 bottles of sanitiser gel, 2,000 disposable aprons, almost 5,000 gloves and hundreds of coveralls in early April.

There was an order for 250,000 Type II medical masks on April 14 and, just a few days later, 128,000 aprons and almost 100,000 more gloves.

Later in April, the council ordered 50,000 Type II masks and more than 1500 packs of 200 wipes.

Last month, 100,000 Type II masks were bought as well as 200,000 aprons and 78,000 gloves in different sizes.

A sub group was set up to cover PPE issues and ensure public health guidance was followed.

The chief executive’s report stated: “Procurement of PPE is complex as worldwide demand has increased.

“A specific team was set up to ensure that a sufficient long-term supply is in place to meet the needs of all staff who require it.”