Holidaying NHS staff told: Take unpaid leave to cover quarantine

Hard working: nurses show their thanks for praise heaped on them during the peak of the pandemic
Jeremy Selwyn

NHS staff who take a foreign break this summer have been told they will have to take unpaid leave or use more holiday allowance to cover the 14-day quarantine on their return to the UK.

The decision has angered exhausted frontline staff who put their lives on the line during the coronavirus pandemic and are desperate for a break.

One London hospital doctor told the Standard it “left a bad taste in the mouth”, especially as the rules — adopted by a number of NHS trusts — have apparently been imposed without consultation.

The doctor said it would harm morale and could rebound on NHS managers in the event of a second wave, when medical staff could be less prepared to put their lives on hold to respond to any new influx.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told staff it had updated its rules on foreign holidays “in line with the London-wide guidance”.

Clive Kay, the trust’s chief executive, said: “People should only be undertaking essential travel (eg for a bereavement). Where this is the case, this must be pre-approved, then you will receive pay during the 14-day quarantine period. You should also be available to undertake work from home.

“However, if you have travelled abroad for a holiday, or have done so without prior approval, you will be expected to take unpaid or annual leave, to cover the 14-day quarantine period.”

The doctor said that, at the peak of the pandemic, King’s had “demanded maximum flexibility from its staff”. But when the pandemic eased there had been “zero tolerance” of holiday requests and not a penny paid as a bonus to reward hard work.

The doctor said: “Job plans were unilaterally suspended. All leave was cancelled.

“Seven-day working was instituted without discussion. 24/7 rotas imposed. Staff were redeployed from ward to ward without notice.

“This was understandable for March and April but they retained their total control through May, when it was quiet, and June, when it is long-since disappeared.”

It came as a British Medical Association survey said a third of doctors were feeling more stressed at present, and as health leaders warned that a second wave was a “real risk”.

A King’s College hospital spokeswoman said: “The Government has advised against all but essential international travel and the trust is complying with this guidance.

“Therefore, any colleagues who decide to take a holiday overseas will have to use annual or unpaid leave to cover the two-week quarantine period on their return.

“We recognise that our staff have been working incredibly hard in response to Covid-19 and we are encouraging them to take regular breaks from work to ensure they are well rested.

“Our current policy — which has been adopted by a number of NHS Trusts — will be reviewed and updated when the Government’s travel advice changes.”

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