THE ongoing rise in Covid-19 infections “paints a very bleak picture” for already exhausted nursing staff, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned today.

The union said that nurses are “already physically and emotionally exhausted” by the pandemic but that staff shortages due to Covid-19 have left them fearing even worse to come.

According to NHS data, staff absences due to Covid-19 infection or self-isolation increased by 18 per cent from November 29 to December 9, from 11,375 absences to 13,468.

The picture is especially bleak in London: on December 12, staff absences had risen by 31 per cent from the start of the month, from 1,174 to to 1,540.

Due to the most recent data not yet being available, the statistics do not show the full impact of Covid-19’s omicron variant on staffing, but NHS Providers said that London trusts suffered a rise of 140 per cent in staff absences between December 12 and 16.

RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said: “The next few weeks paint a very bleak picture for nursing staff who are already physically and emotionally exhausted by what has happened throughout the pandemic.

“In many places they are already starting to go off sick themselves with Covid-19, but also mental and physical exhaustion.

“Before the pandemic, there weren’t enough staff to deliver what was needed. Staff are now looking forward thinking: ‘Oh my goodness, what is coming?’”

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson said that rising staff workloads are “a major concern” as trusts deal with not only Covid-19 care but “real pressure on emergency care, tackling a significant backlog of routine care, and accelerating and expanding the vaccination campaign.”