North West Ambulance Service, which covers Greater Manchester, has been named in a new study as the trust worst-hit by sickness absence rates due to long Covid in the country.
The data was gathered and has now been published by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus as paramedics in Greater Manchester and England and Wales prepare to take strike action on Wednesday. The cross party MPs used the Freedom of Information Act to survey all 10 ambulance service NHS Trusts in England.
The group said the results showed that between October 2021 and October this year, an estimated 166,760 calendar days were lost due to staff experiencing Covid-related sickness more than 28 days after contracting the virus. Of the trusts that responded, NWAS recorded the highest absence rate, with 42,281 days of absence taken due to long Covid over the period, revealed the study.
