Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support NHS staff affected by covid-19 following the withdrawal of additional sick pay benefits for that purpose.

The Department introduced temporary, non-contractual COVID-19 sickness guidance at the start of the pandemic to ensure National Health Service staff received full pay should they be advised to self-isolate or become ill with COVID-19. As we learn to live with COVID-19, this guidance has been withdrawn, and staff have been moved back to normal terms and conditions. As part of this, NHS staff have generous sick pay which can be up to six months of full pay and six months of half pay (depending on length of service).