NHS absences 'to treble' as staff hit by burnout

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( December 27, 2021 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Burnout could lead to tripling of NHS staff sickness next year]( Hospitals could see as many as one in six doctors and nurses off sick throughout 2022, according to modelling, as the Omicron wave of Covid fuels burnout, stress and anxiety among NHS staff. Days of record Covid numbers – with 119,789 positive tests reported on Christmas Eve – have led to an increase in hospital admissions in recent weeks, while sickness has also increased among health workers, with NHS absences reaching 12 per cent last week. But analysis by London South Bank University shows that even after this Covid spike, the health service could be hampered by an absence rate of up to 17 per cent – almost three times as high as the highest seen after previous waves – because of burnout and long Covid. This is on top of a significant number of vacancies in frontline roles. 2 / [Boris Johnson faces decision on Covid restrictions for new year]( Prime minister to be briefed on latest data from Christmas break 3 / [The Queen leads tributes to Archbishop Desmond Tutu following his death]( Desmond Tutu, who helped end apartheid in South Africa, has died aged 90 4 / [Mackenzie Crook: ‘The Office was a document of its time – those things couldn’t be said anymore’]( Actor talks about social anxiety, his love of nature, and why ‘The Office’ wouldn’t work these days 5 / [Staff shortages may force schools to prioritise year groups for in-person teaching, union says]( Headteachers ‘hoping for the best but planning for the worst’, says ASCL's Geoff Barton The Big Question How accurate are lateral flow tests? As a result of the rapidly-spreading [Omicron]( variant, this week saw the biggest spike in [Covid]( case numbers since records began in March 2020, with 119,789 positive tests reported in the 24 hours to Thursday 23 December. On Wednesday 8 December, prime minister Boris Johnson announced that England would move to Plan B. This meant that face masks became compulsory in most indoor settings once again and people were asked to work from home. People who hadn’t already had the booster vaccine were encouraged to do so and we were encouraged to take regular [lateral flow]( tests, too. Following this announcement, lateral flow tests were unavailable on the government website for two days in a row. On Monday last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that “due to exceptionally high demand, ordering lateral flow tests on gov.uk has been temporarily suspended to fulfil existing orders.” [Read the full story >]( Watch / [Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama joke and dance in uplifting resurfaced footage]( NUMBER OF THE DAY 18,829 The number of NHS staff currently off sick as Covid-19 cases soar, up 50 per cent in a week QUOTE OF THE DAY “What we were portraying back then were things that were being said in an office environment, and people were getting away with it.” – The Office star Mackenzie Crook commenting on the hit TV series Other stories you might like [Meghan to get payout from Mail on Sunday after copyright win]( [Met Police investigating video following Windsor Castle security breach]( [Tributes paid to ‘kind and selfless’ UK estate agent shot dead in Florida]( Articles available exclusively to subscribers Adam White, The Independent: [In 2021, every celebrity begged you to love them or hate them]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.