Joe O'Reilly urges full sick pay for long COVID health staff

At the outset, last Comhairleach, I want to welcome my colleague Minister Dylan to the House and I know that he's speaking on behalf of Minister Carl MacNeill today and that he will convey the sentiments to her which I propose to do myself as well in other fora. It's never inappropriate to thank the health care workers of this country for their valiant, courageous and selfless service during COVID. It's never inappropriate and it should be done on any occasion. And indeed, I think Filnie Hay, the General Secretary of the INMO and President of ICTU, put it very well on the primetime programme, on the excellent primetime programme on the 28th of April when she said we applauded the health care workers at the time of COVID and now let's support them into the future also, those who are unfortunate long-term victims. And to turn to this specific issue, long-term COVID manifests itself through fatigue, breathlessness, brain fog, persistent cough, chest pains, muscle and joint pains, loss of taste and smell and heart, cardiac conditions. And it's not contingent on the gravity of the COVID in the first instance. In other words, somebody could have had mild COVID and still have long COVID. Health care workers were at high risk during COVID. Studies show that close contact, inadequate protective equipment, particularly early on, and inability to distance, it's not possible in their work situation to distance, increased the risk. And indeed, the figures are startling. 10,000 health care personnel and social care workers were contracted COVID at some point. 23 health care workers lost their lives. More than 120 INMO members and social care workers, more than up to 150 remain affected with long COVID. And I want to thank Ms. Carl Eccles, who's the health and safety officer of the INMO, for supporting me with some data here. So they are affected. They remain affected with long COVID. Moving them and they are unable to go back to work, but want to go back to sick pay, to sick leave, moving them to sick leave, which is proposed to happen on the 1st of June, affects their mortgage, the education of their children, all the normal bills that they had and expectations. And I should say, Minister, it's a small number that's left at this point. It's a small number of people who are now affected, but quite a number of people with long COVID have recovered and gone back. So the numbers are quite low now. So the bill is not a big one, the potential bill. They have financial needs, they need medical support, and without this recognition, it presents them with, their symptoms can be wrongly labelled and they can be considered malingerers, if you remember that term from our childhood, when in fact it's an unjustified thing. Recognition of this will result in the, if recognition of their condition will result in the establishment of appropriate, safety management systems for further assistance. And if there could be recognised, if it could be recognised as an occupational injury, which it is, as is the case in France, in Germany, in Italy, in Spain, and indeed in South Korea and Taiwan, it's recognised as an occupational injury in those countries. And we'd like to think we're up there with those. If it can be, if that could happen, then they could get the benefits they're in. These countries apply the presumption of occupational exposure leading to the injury. Automatically, and they're considered for high risk occupation, unless of course it's proven that it's a bogus claim or whatever. Providing sick pay will allow a focus on recovery and can affect retention in the healthcare workers and morale. Sick pay for healthcare workers is essential to maintaining a healthy workforce, ensuring public safety and ensuring the overall wellbeing of those who have been affected. And sick pay for victims of long COVID will provide financial security. The expectation of it will give job satisfaction for all, because with the virus recently, we don't know what's coming in the future. So it's important that nurses and all healthcare workers would feel that they would be protected. It will affect morale, it will help to attract talent, which is an issue at the moment. And so I think that there's a compelling case here. It's not a big bill, it's a moral issue. It's a responsibility for the state to deal with this. Well, firstly, just to thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this really important commencement matter. And it provides an important opportunity to again acknowledge the very real and ongoing impact of long COVID on a small number of healthcare workers. I'm taking this, as the Senator said, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Card MacNeill, who is acutely aware that while the acute phase of the pandemic has passed, its effects have not disappeared for everyone. And I think the recent public discussions, including media reporting on the lived experience of people affected by long COVID underlines that complex, unpredictable, and at times debilitating nature of the condition. And I don't think for once we can forget the enormous contribution of our healthcare workers who became ill while caring for the needs of others in extraordinary circumstances that continue to be deeply challenging. From the onset of the pandemic, exceptional measures were put in place to recognise the risks faced by healthcare staff, particularly during the periods before effective PPE vaccination and widespread community transmission were established. And in that context, a temporary special scheme for long COVID was introduced in July 2022 for eligible public health sector workers. And that scheme was unique to the health sector and has provided sustained support at full pay for almost five years through special leave with pay initially, and then with the special scheme itself. And while the scheme has extended on several occasions at the request of the minister for health, the Labour court ultimately recommended a final extension and the scheme concluded on the 31st of December, 2025. And it's important to be clear, however, that the conclusion of that temporary scheme did not mean an end to the supports. Staff who remained unfit to return to work moved seamlessly to the public service sick leave scheme, ensuring continuity of income protection and access to further supports and since the conclusion of the scheme, a significant number of staff have returned to work, including a phased return arrangement, while others continue to be supported through the sick leave scheme and related provisions. And under the public service sick pay scheme, leave scheme, staff may access paid sick leave and where appropriate, further supports such as the temporary rehabilitation remuneration and the critical illness protocol. In parallel, the health service continues to focus on supporting recovery and return to work where possible, including through reasonable workplace accommodation and adjustment duties. The minister is very conscious, however, that for some individuals their recovery has been slower and more uncertain than initially anticipated. And in light of this, the Taoiseach met with health unions on Thursday, the 30th of April, and following that arrangement and engagement, the Taoiseach has asked the HSE to ensure that management discretion under the critical illness protocol is actively and compassionately applied in cases involving long COVID, such that staff continue to be supported while government continues further long-term measures that may be appropriate. This matter, Senator O'Reilly, remains under consideration across government, including the Department of Health, the HSE and the Department of Social Protection, with the Minister for Health and the Minister for Social Protection having met in recent weeks to discuss the ongoing supports. They welcomed the progress to date, noting the significant number of staff that have been supported in returning to work, while others continue to receive supports to the public service sick leave scheme. And I think it's important to note those who are feeling longer effects, that they need to be continued to be in our thoughts during this time and the enormous contribution and service that they have given to the state. Thank you, Laskar. I appreciate your last remarks, Sir Minister. I'm a natural optimist and believe in a half-full glass rather than a half-empty glass, so I'll interpret some of the coded language there to suggest that something may be going to be done about this, but in case I'm wrongly interpreting it, it would be shocking if it's not. I want to make that clear, Minister, and I have no ambiguity around this. It's our duty as public reps to say what should be said. The truth is that anyone still genuinely suffering long COVID should not be stopped on the 1st of June from receiving full sick pay as was. And I do accept good supports were there, but the supports for those very small number, relatively small number of people, but all human beings, all great professionals and all sending out signals to others that that support should continue and that they should receive, there should be no change in their position until they recover. And again, I just want to assure the Senator and the House that this issue continues to receive very careful and compassionate attention at the highest level of government. I certainly welcome the Taoiseach's engagement with the nursing unions and from discussions with Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. She is working closely with the Taoiseach's office, the HSE, and with staff representatives to monitor the position to ensure existing supports are making an impact as extended, but also to consider the further long-term responses that may be possible for those who are affected. And indeed, those who remain unable to return to work, that they're continued to have access to full range of entitlements available to them and not just the public service sick leave scheme, including paid sick leave, the temporary rehabilitation remuneration, and where criteria is met, the critical illness protocol. And I think they do need to be discretion given to the HSE, and I welcome the Taoiseach's intervention in that regard.