HOSPITAL bosses are warning that a feared spike in staff absences caused by Omicron will seriously impact the health system.
Five health and social care trusts and the ambulance service said further reductions in the workforce would heap more pressure on already overstretched colleagues.
There are concerns that the system, and public services in general, could be hit hard if the number of workers absent from work as a result of catching Covid-19, or because they are self-isolating, surges as the Omicron wave reaches a peak in mid-January.
The warning has come as rules around pay for sick leave have been changed significantly. One health trust has already told its staff that the self-certification period has been extended from seven days to 28 days.
Infection levels have reached a record high in Britain and Northern Ireland.
In the north another 3,227 people have tested positive with one further death. It is the second day in a row that cases topped 3,000.
Dr Seamus O’Reilly, chief executive of the Northern Trust, said there were concerns about the number of health and social care staff who might be unavailable to work.
“This could be the factor that causes most pressure on all services over the coming weeks, not just in hospitals but also much-needed community services and support and administrative services,” he added.
Health Minister Robin Swann warned against complacency following research indicating that the Omicron variant may be less severe than Delta.
He said Omicron, which is now the dominant variant, still posed a significant threat to health and social care
services.
“It is much more infectious than Delta and will therefore lead to much greater levels of infection,” he said.
“Even with a lower proportion being hospitalised, if the number of cases rises to very high levels, the number of Covid inpatients will increase as well.
“Pressure on our hospitals could therefore be significantly increased.”
