New Study Highlights Impact of Long COVID on Healthcare Workers
The Observatory has today published comprehensive findings on the prevalence and impact of long COVID among UK NHS healthcare workers (HCWs) from diverse ethnic backgrounds and occupational roles.
- REACH-OUT: Caring for the healthcare workforce post-COVID-19 follows a long-term study, spanning three years (2022 to 2025), which brings together research, testimonials, data and new insights exploring the syndrome, stigma and common symptoms faced.
- In 2021, the Observatory announced this collaboration with UK-REACH, a partnership with the University of Leicester, UCL, University of Nottingham and a cohort of front-line healthcare workers to undertake estimation of the prevalence of long COVID among healthcare workers (HCWs) globally and in the UK and identify the most common symptom clusters.
The study set out to understand both the medium and long-term impacts on the mental, physical and occupational health of workers including nursing, allied-health professionals and administrators to produce evidence to support workforce recovery and actions for national policy recommendations. Another key objective included examining the demographic, clinical, occupational, and sociocultural factors associated with long COVID risk, with particular attention given to ethnicity, migration status, and vaccination history.
The cohort of over 5000 healthcare workers, both clinical and non-clinical, included staff who identified as Asian, Black, Mixed and ‘Other’. During the early stage of the pandemic, 63% of health and social care worker deaths were among ethnic minority HCWs, three times their representation in the NHS workforce.
Figures from today’s report reveal that over one in four (27%)of healthcare workers reported symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more. Healthcare teams also felt the brunt with long COVID contributing significantly to workforce absenteeism, presenteeism and reduced productivity.
Insights from qualitative interviews also found many healthcare workers described the response from their NHS organisations as ‘inconsistent’ and ‘insufficient’.
Key findings show:
- Common Symptoms: The most frequently reported long COVID symptoms among HCWs include fatigue (35%), neurological symptoms such as brain fog and headaches (25%), loss of taste and/or smell (25%), muscle pain (22%), and shortness of breath (19%).
- Risk Factors: Female HCWs, those with pre-existing health conditions, severe initial COVID-19, and those in nursing, allied-health, or administrative roles were more likely to experience long COVID. HCWs who had had more COVID vaccinations had lower risk of long COVID.
- Prevalence: Up to 27% of UK healthcare workers reported symptoms lasting 12 weeks or more, with global studies showing similar trends.
Professor Habib Naqvi, chief executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory, said:
“People from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds shouldered a disproportionate burden in the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m delighted that this report, which explicitly focuses on the impact of long COVID on our diverse workforce, presents us with keys insights and first-hand accounts to help the healthcare system to learn and address the need for improved support.
“There is a clear and urgent need for improved workplace adjustments, tailored support for the workforce, and increased learning and understanding of the impact of long COVID for the wider health and care system. We simply cannot afford for history to repeat itself.”
Researchers are now calling for consistent workplace adjustments, including phased returns and flexible arrangements, enhanced clinical guidance and support for workers with long COVID and proper recognition of the burden on both affected staff and their colleagues. The mixed-methods research they used included a systematic review and analysis of 28 studies that included 6,481 healthcare workers and interviews with 42 HCWs, their support networks (such as neighbours, friends, work colleagues and managers).
Professor Manish Pareek, Clinical Professor, Infectious Diseases and Chief Investigator of UK-REACH and REACH-OUT, University of Leicester, said:
“Healthcare workers are the NHS’s greatest asset, and their well-being is critical to delivering safe and high-quality care. The REACH-OUT study provides vital evidence to help us better understand long COVID and develop the support healthcare workers need to remain healthy and able to work.”
Dr Amani Al-Oraibi, Research Fellow, University of Nottingham, REACH-OUT Lead and Honorary Fellow, University of Leicester, said:
“Doing this work, it became clear how little evidence existed for this population on a condition we still understand relatively poorly. I’m proud that we’ve been able to change that. My hope now is that researchers and policymakers use these findings as a genuine starting point and that we see real change for a workforce that gave so much to support all of us, and deserves to be supported in return.”
Professor Katherine Woolf, Professor of Medical Education Research, UCL Medical School, said:
“This research highlights how much impact the COVID pandemic continues to have on healthcare workers, with up to one in four still experiencing symptoms following infection. Supporting those affected and preventing similar impacts on healthcare staff in future pandemics should remain a priority.”
NICE define ‘long COVID’ as signs and symptoms that continue or develop after acute COVID 19. It includes both ongoing symptomatic COVID 19 (from 4 to 12 weeks) and post COVID 19 syndrome (12 weeks or more).
A 2024 study estimated 3.3% (2 million) people in England and Scotland were experiencing self-reported long COVID following initial infection.
This final report is the fourth in a series; earlier reports outlined the rationale and methodology, an exploration of global research about long COVID and implications for health and care policy and the variable factors associated with long COVID, insights from questionnaires, workforce implications and the need for targeted policy recommendations to address ongoing challenges.