Long Covid Retirement & Dismissal - FOI Response Register

Under FOISA, I am looking for information about the numbers of staff retired or dismissed due to ill health, in particular where that ill-health relates to "Long Covid".

Specifically I am looking for:

In each financial year, since April 2020:

1. How many employees have left your organisation due to ill health

Of these how many have been

a) dismissed on ill health grounds

b) retired on ill health grounds

2. How many employees in your organisation are absent due to long-term ill-health

In providing this please note that in addition to sickness absence reasons the figures also include Special Leave Covid related absences i.e. Covid Positive, Long Covid, Self-Displaying Symptoms and Vaccination Reaction. Long term has been classed as in excess of 28 days for the purpose of this response.

Of these, how many

a) Are absent due to “long Covid” (i.e. with a diagnosis)

In providing this please note that absence reasons are nationally defined. Absence due to Covid was recorded as Special Leave, and from December 2020 an additional reason to denote Long Covid became available for use. For some absences the line manager has amended the absence reason to denote Long Covid for periods prior to December 2020. In line with SG guidance, any staff absence from 1 September 2022 with Covid related symptoms was treated in line with all other sickness absences. Therefore from September 2022 absences due to Long Covid were then recorded as “sick leave – Covid”. In providing the figures below any “sick leave – Covid” absence in excess of 28 days has been included, noting the absence reason may not specifically be long Covid, as well as Special Leave Long Covid absences.  

b) Are absent due to symptoms comparable to “long covid” (i.e. without a diagnosis)

In providing this please note that all Covid related absences, be it Special Leave or sickness, is included i.e. Covid Positive, Long Covid, Self-Displaying Symptoms and Vaccination Reaction.  

3. Of the employees who have been dismissed on ill health grounds, how many of these

a) Were dismissed due to “long Covid”, (i.e. with a diagnosis)

b) Were dismissed due to symptoms comparable to “long covid” (i.e. without a diagnosis)

4. Of the employees who have been retired on ill health grounds, how many of these

a) Were retired due to “long Covid”, (i.e. with a diagnosis)

b) Were retired due to symptoms comparable to “long covid” (i.e. without a diagnosis)

5. How many personal injury claims your organisation has received from employees who have long Covid?

6. Finally, please provide your sickness and absence policy for managing employee absence due to “long Covid”

I attach an excel spreadsheet to be completed and returned. Per my right under s11(2)(a) of FOISA (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2002/13) please ensure the information is returned in this table, and attached as an Excel spreadsheet file (by this I mean that I do not want it returned as a pdf or other document, or in the body of an email).

See attached spreadsheet