Sickness rate hits record high
The sickness absence rate at Sunderland and South Tyneside’s hospital trust hit a record high during lockdown, figures show.
NHS Digital data shows that in April, the first full month of lockdown, th e overall staff sickness and absence rate at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust was 6%.
This is the highest level since comparable records began in 2013.
By comparison, the rate was 4.2% during the same month in 2019.
It means 13,639 full-time equivalent days of work across all staff groups in the trust were lost, from a total of 227,526 in April.
The latest statistics reveal 2.3 million full-time working days were lost due to sickness across the NHS in April – the most in more than a decade.
The figures cover the first full month of lockdown, when people across the country were urged to stay at home to protect the NHS as it came under increased pressure.
The rate across the North East and Yorkshire was 5.9% in April – the sixth highest of NHS England' s seven regions. London had the highest rate, while the South West saw the lowest.
Overall, the national NHS staff sickness rate was 6.2% – the highest for any month on record.
Kath Griffin, Director of H Rand Organisational Development at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is very difficult to sensibly compare sickness rates as the last few months have presented the NHS with a challenge that we have never experienced before.
“There is no doubt that the last few months have been a difficult time for staff across the Trust who have worked above and beyond to safely care for patients both in our hospitals and in the community.
"We recognise that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of our staff and we continue to provide a comprehensive package of support focused around mental and physical health and wellbeing.”
Ms Griffin added: "Since April, we have seen a 25% decrease in sickness levels across the Trust and more in line with what we would expect to see at this time of year.”