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Data Provider: Welsh Government Management Information NHS staff absence and self-isolation, by date (archived - no longer updated)

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, information on NHS staff absence has been published to support transparency and understanding of NHS activity and capacity. Figures show the number and percentage of NHS staff absent due to COVID-19 related illness, self-isolation or otherwise, by date. The data are taken from management information and are subject to change. They have not been subject to the same validation processes undertaken for official statistics releases. The official statistics should be considered as the authoritative data source.

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[Collapse]Total absentThe total of NHS staff absent is the total of COVID-19 sickness, other sickness and self-isolation.Click here to sortTotal absentThe total of NHS staff absent is the total of COVID-19 sickness, other sickness and self-isolation.
[Collapse]Off sick - all reasonsClick here to sortOff sick - all reasons[Expand]Click here to sortSelf-isolatingFrom 1 April 2023 there is no longer any requirement for staff to test for COVID-19, therefore it is no longer possible to identify with any certainty any sickness as attributable to COVID-19. Some self-isolating staff will be able to continue working from home.
Click here to sortOff sick - COVIDClick here to sortOff sick - other reasons
20/04/2020Swansea Bay unable to provide data on the same basis as everyone else so excluded from the return.2.44.26.64.811.5
27/04/2020Swansea Bay unable to provide data on the same basis as everyone else so excluded from the return.2.34.16.54.611.1
04/05/2020Swansea Bay unable to provide data on the same basis as everyone else so excluded from the return.2.24.26.44.911.3
11/05/2020Swansea Bay unable to provide data on the same basis as everyone else so excluded from the return.1.74.46.14.510.6
18/05/2020Swansea Bay unable to provide data on the same basis as everyone else so excluded from the return.2.04.56.54.310.8
25/05/20201.84.76.44.310.7
01/06/20201.54.56.04.110.2
08/06/20201.14.35.44.29.6
15/06/20201.04.35.34.09.3
22/06/20200.84.35.13.99.0
29/06/20200.74.45.13.78.7
06/07/20200.64.34.93.68.5
13/07/20200.64.24.83.58.3
20/07/20200.54.34.83.48.2
27/07/20200.54.24.73.48.1
03/08/20200.44.14.53.47.9
10/08/20200.34.24.53.37.8
17/08/20200.34.24.52.67.1
24/08/20200.34.34.62.16.7
31/08/20200.34.14.42.06.4
07/09/20200.34.24.61.96.5
14/09/20200.44.34.72.16.8
21/09/20200.54.24.72.06.7
28/09/20200.54.14.61.96.5
05/10/20200.54.14.61.86.4
12/10/20200.54.04.51.96.4
19/10/20200.64.04.72.06.7
26/10/20200.74.14.82.06.8
02/11/20201.04.15.02.07.1
09/11/20201.23.74.92.06.9
16/11/20201.23.85.01.96.9
23/11/20201.23.95.11.97.0
30/11/20201.24.35.52.07.5
07/12/20201.44.35.72.27.8
14/12/20201.74.25.82.68.4
21/12/20201.94.36.22.58.7
28/12/20202.04.36.22.58.7
04/01/20211.94.36.22.58.7
11/01/20211.74.66.32.68.9
18/01/20211.64.86.42.48.9
25/01/20211.54.86.32.38.6
01/02/20211.34.86.12.28.3
08/02/20211.14.55.72.17.7
15/02/20211.04.35.42.07.4
22/02/20210.94.35.32.07.2
01/03/20210.84.25.12.07.0
08/03/20210.84.14.81.96.8
15/03/20210.74.24.92.06.9
22/03/20210.64.04.61.86.4
29/03/20210.53.94.41.96.3
05/04/20210.53.94.31.55.9
12/04/20210.53.94.41.35.8
19/04/20210.54.14.51.05.6
26/04/20210.44.24.61.05.5
03/05/20210.44.24.60.85.4
10/05/20210.44.44.80.85.5
17/05/20210.44.44.80.75.5
24/05/20210.44.54.80.75.5
31/05/20210.44.54.80.75.5
07/06/20210.44.54.90.75.6
21/06/2021Data now collected once a fortnight0.34.75.00.75.8
05/07/20210.44.85.20.86.0
19/07/20210.44.95.30.96.2
02/08/20210.45.05.40.86.2
16/08/20210.45.15.50.86.3
13/09/20210.84.95.81.06.8
27/09/20210.94.95.81.27.0
11/10/20211.05.06.01.17.1
25/10/20210.94.95.90.96.8
08/11/20210.85.05.80.86.6
22/11/20210.85.05.70.96.6
06/12/20210.75.05.70.96.6
20/12/20210.94.85.70.96.6
03/01/20222.14.76.81.58.3
10/01/2022Data now collected every Monday2.34.67.01.48.3
17/01/20221.74.66.31.07.3
24/01/20221.54.66.21.07.1
31/01/20221.64.66.11.07.1
07/02/20221.54.56.00.96.9
14/02/20221.44.45.80.86.6
21/02/20221.24.55.70.76.4
28/02/20221.14.35.50.76.1
07/03/20221.24.35.50.76.1
14/03/20221.44.35.70.76.5
21/03/20221.74.36.10.86.9
28/03/20222.04.36.30.97.2
04/04/20222.14.56.60.87.4
11/04/20222.04.66.60.77.3
19/04/2022Data for Tuesday 19 April following the bank holiday1.74.25.90.66.6
25/04/20221.54.35.80.66.4
03/05/2022Data for Tuesday 3 May following the bank holiday1.14.35.40.55.9
09/05/20221.14.25.30.55.8
16/05/20220.94.35.30.55.7
30/05/2022Data now collected once a fortnight0.74.55.20.45.7
13/06/20220.84.55.30.55.8
20/06/2022Data now collected every Monday1.04.55.50.56.0
27/06/20221.54.86.30.66.8
04/07/20221.84.66.50.67.1
11/07/20221.94.86.70.67.3
18/07/20221.64.86.50.57.0
25/07/20221.34.76.00.56.5
01/08/20221.24.96.10.46.5
08/08/2022From 8 August 2022 the data will be collected once a fortnight.1.04.95.90.46.3
22/08/20220.85.05.80.46.2
05/09/20220.74.85.50.45.8
20/09/2022Data for Tuesday 20 September following the bank holiday0.64.85.40.35.7
03/10/20220.74.75.40.45.8
17/10/20220.94.85.70.46.0
31/10/20220.84.95.70.46.1
14/11/20220.64.95.50.35.8
28/11/2022A re-evaluation of staff who are self-isolating but working from home has resulted in a decrease in the self-isolating numbers this week.0.65.25.80.26.0
12/12/20220.85.36.10.26.3
03/01/2023Data for Tuesday 3 January following the bank holiday0.95.96.80.16.9
16/01/20230.55.25.70.15.8
30/01/20230.44.65.00.15.1
13/02/20230.44.75.10.15.2
27/02/20230.44.75.20.15.3
13/03/20230.54.65.20.15.2
27/03/20230.54.65.10.15.2
17/04/2023Data collection delayed by a week due to Easter0.44.54.90.15.0
15/05/2023Data collection delayed following the bank holidays on 1 and 8 May0.24.64.80.14.8
05/06/2023Data collection delayed by a week due to the bank holiday on 29 May0.24.44.50.14.6
19/06/20230.14.44.50.04.6

Metadata

Title

NHS staff absence and self-isolation rate, by date

Last update

22 June 2023 22 June 2023

Next update

archived - no longer updated

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

NHS Organisations

Contact email

stats.healthinfo@gov.wales

Designation

Management information

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Wales

Geographical coverage

Wales

Languages covered

English and Welsh

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

General description

In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, information on NHS staff absence has been published to support transparency and understanding of NHS activity and capacity.

Figures show the number and percentage of NHS staff absent due to COVID-19 related illness, self-isolation or otherwise by date.

The data are taken from management information and are subject to change. They have not been subject to the same validation processes undertaken for official statistics releases.


Data collection and calculation

This information is published each Thursday on StatsWales. The data was collected daily until 10 August 2020, and then once a week (Monday's data) between 17 August 2020 and 7 June 2021. From 21 June 2021, we moved this collection from weekly to fortnightly, however due to increased demand for information on NHS staff absence this collection returned to weekly from 3 January 2022. From 8 August 2022 the data will be collected once a fortnight.

Data is submitted via an EXCEL file and then transferred to an ACCESS database.

Frequency of publication

Fortnightly

Data reference periods

14 April 2020 onwards

Rounding applied

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.

Revisions information

Historic data may be revised if organisations identify an issue but it is not likely to be frequently revised.

Keywords

NHS, COVID-19, Coronavirus, Staff absence

Statistical quality

From 1 April 2023 there is no longer any requirement for staff to test for COVID-19, therefore it is no longer possible to identify with any certainty any sickness as attributable to COVID-19.

From 17 January 2022, Betsi Cadwaladr changed the way self isolation data is reported. To ensure figures align with those reported locally, self-isolation absence of more than 7 days is excluded from results, as it is assumed that staff have returned to work but that workforce systems have not yet been updated.

Due to planned maintenance, Welsh Government did not receive data for 30 August 2021 and therefore cancelled the 2 September 2021 publication. There are currently no plans to include this data in future updates.

Figures include data from all NHS organisations in Wales from 14 March 2020, apart from Swansea Bay who were unable to provide data on the same basis as the other organisations until 20 May 2020. Since 17 August 2020, all organisations submit a return on a Tuesday, providing data for the previous day (Monday). From 21 June 2021, we moved this collection from weekly to fortnightly, however due to increased demand for information on NHS staff absence this collection returned to weekly from 3 January 2022.

Cardiff and Vale submitted weekly data between 22 June 2020 and 7 June 2021. Prior to that, Cardiff and Vale submitted daily data but were unable to submit data for Saturdays or Sundays, so weekly averages were based on data for Mondays to Fridays only. Velindre submitted weekly data between 28 July 2020 and 17 August 2020.

Changes in the way the data was collected in Betsi Cadwaladr from 8 June 2020 improved data accuracy. As a result, there was a reduction in the total number of staff reported as absent and in the number of staff whose absence was due to COVID-19.

From 27 July 2020, the number of students (which form part of the 'other staff group') was down by more than 200 across both Cardiff and Vale and Cwm Taf Morgannwg health boards following the end of their studies or short term contracts.

Following a change in the shielding guidance on 16 August 2020, organisations reported a drop in staff self isolation for the week commencing 11 August 2020.

Name

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