Fractional exhaled nitric oxide ( FeNO ) in asthma
11 while many nurses are given the time and patience required , some report being forced to return to work early or having to leave the profession altogether .
‘ It ’ s a lottery ’ Senior lecturer in children and young people ’ s nursing Dr Alison Twycross – who has long Covid – founded the advocacy group Long Covid Nurses and Midwives UK ( LCNM ). She says the treatment of healthcare professionals with the condition has sometimes been ‘ immoral ’, adding that even when people feel they are being treated well by an employer , the support can ‘ drop off around the two-year mark ’.
‘ We have staff going on half pay , no pay , and being dismissed – and as a result having to sell their houses , downsize , rent out their flats , or move in with friends or family ,’ she says . ‘ People have been treated abominably . Union support can be patchy , managers don ’ t always understand about long Covid , HR doesn ’ t always understand and neither do colleagues .’
In April , research conducted by public services union Unison found healthcare staff with long Covid are returning to work early because they are afraid of losing their jobs . 4 Of 1,916 healthcare workers who had long Covid , 68 % said they were back in the workplace while suffering with symptoms such as breathlessness , fatigue , brain fog and aching joints , while 8 % said they had been too ill to return to work .
Almost half ( 43 %) said their employer did go the extra mile when it came to support to return to work – such as adjusting job roles , enabling a flexible return , or allowing time off without using up sickness or leave entitlement . However , a similar proportion ( 46 %) said that although their employer was initially supportive , this changed as time went on . Almost one in 10 ( 9 %) was asked to attend a formal absence hearing , and 2 % reported being threatened with disciplinary action or even dismissal .
Dr Twycross advocates for a phased return – where an employee agrees with their employer a way to stagger how they resume work – but says not all employees are
Staff need an individualised approach , with a phased return that will need to be 12 weeks or longer Dr Alison Twycross
offered this : ‘ People are being told they don ’ t need a phased return because they have had 18 months off on full pay . But staff need a bespoke , individualised approach , and the phased return will need to be 12 weeks or longer . Sometimes people don ’ t get that , or their phased return is too short , or they are asked to use accrued annual leave to cover it . Some have been given a year to find redeployment , others just four to six weeks . It ’ s a lottery .’
NHS England told Nursing in Practice that individual NHS organisations were responsible for managing the employment of staff with long Covid . A spokesperson underlined that NHSE had invested more than £ 220m and opened 90 specialist long Covid clinics .
But Dr Twycross warns that the ‘ stress and anxiety ’ experienced by staff with long Covid adversely affects their symptoms . ‘ So ironically , not giving staff with
Fractional exhaled nitric oxide ( FeNO ) in asthma
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