Dozens of British healthcare workers with long Covid are still waiting for a High Court compensation hearing against the NHS, among others, whom they are suing for loss of income due to life-changing disabilities they say result directly from their employers’ failure to protect them from Covid-19.
The representatives of the group of around 70 people were told last week that their claim would be heard alongside a similar claim from a different group of healthcare professionals with long Covid.
The High Court hearing is slated for October and could lead to a full trial in 2025/26, reports HR Magazine.
The claimants argue that health workers were not supplied with suitable personal protective equipment at work: a number of them had to retire early, or resign, due to the chronic condition that affected an estimated 1.9m people in the UK.
Representatives of some of the employers said their staff’s health and well-being were a priority.
Alan Price, CEO for the HR and health and safety software firm BrightHR, said that long Covid should be dealt with in the same way as any other medical condition, and reminded employers to consider each situation individually.
“The important thing is not to have a blanket approach to employees confirmed to have long Covid,” he added, “which means discussing with each one to identify how it affects them and deciding on the support needed to ensure they are able to continue working well.”
James England, senior associate for the law firm Eversheds Sutherland, warned that “HR teams are under a positive obligation to make reasonable adjustments if they know (or ought to know) that an employee has a disability”.
HR Magazine article – Health workers seek long Covid compensation (Open access)
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