Responding to the latest staff sickness absence figures from NHS Digital, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

“These figures show how the real impact of COVID-19 on NHS staff absences continued into the summer even as the initial surge in cases abated.

“Nearly one in five days lost due to absence during May were COVID-related.

“Providing a safe environment for staff and patients is an absolute priority for trusts which is why capacity for regular testing is so important.

“But what’s not clear from these figures is how many of those absences were avoidable.

“In the absence of regular routine testing for staff and patients, with fast turnaround times, this was clearly a problem early in the summer, and it remains a problem today.”