Billy Hanlon (@bhanlon15.bsky.social)

COVID-19-related sickness absence among 4,721 NHS staff in England and its relation with long COVID symptoms: findings from NHS CHECK - BMC Health Services Research Long COVID (LC) occurs when COVID-19 symptoms continue for 12 + weeks after the onset of infection. LC may have several impacts, including sickness absence. This study explored number of days off work due to COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) and predictors of long-term sickness absence (i.e., 4 + consecutive weeks off work). Data were from the NHS CHECK survey and included 4,721 HCWs (19.6% of the cohort) who reported COVID-19-related symptoms and sickness absence at two follow-up periods, approximately 12 and 32 months post-baseline (baseline collected between April 2020 and January 2021). We conducted descriptive analysis to explore COVID-19-related sickness absence at both timepoints and to examine differences depending on whether HCWs self-reported symptoms consistent with LC or an LC diagnosis. We used multi-level logistic regression modelling to explore baseline predictors for reporting long-term sickness absence at follow-up among HCWs who reported LC symptoms. At 12 months, 89.5% of HCWs attributed sickness absence to a COVID-19 infection, while 84.6% reported the same at 32 months. Median self-reported days off work at both timepoints were higher among HCWs who self-reported LC symptoms (12mo = 14 days (IQR = 10–30), 32mo = 7 days (IQR = 4–14)) compared with HCWs who did not (12mo = 9.5 days (IQR = 3.5–14), 32mo = 5 days (IQR = 2–7)). A similar finding was observed for HCWs who reported a formal diagnosis of LC compared with those who did not. There was a noticeable reduction in COVID-19-related sickness absence between our 12 and 32 month follow-up surveys across all groups. Among HCWs who self-reported LC symptoms, predictors for reporting long-term sickness absence at both timepoints included having a pre-existing respiratory illness and being aged 41–50 years. We found that reporting LC symptoms or having an LC diagnosis were associated with greater sickness absence among HCWs. The cause of the reduction in reported sickness absence between the timepoints is unclear, though it is most likely due to natural recovery from COVID-19, greater support available to staff with LC or the withdrawal of a special COVID-19 sickness absence payment in 2022. The need to support workers with LC to return and remain in work is still present. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-025-13442-w