Workforce management during Omicron surge Covid 19 pandemic

Abstract

The Covid 19 pandemic has had a significant effect on the health systems around the world. Health care systems had to adapt in order to meet the needs of the Covid 19 pandemic and to continue to deliver non-pandemic related care. The new Omicron Covid 19 surge reached the UK at the end of year 2021. It rapidly became apparent that the hospitals were facing challenges not only in relation to the increase in demand resulting from the admissions due to Covid 19, but also due to the workforce shortages in relation the staff sickness 3. During the initial waves of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, the hospitals employed different strategies including reduction in outpatient and elective services, development of COVID and non-COVID care pathways and wards, large-scale redeployment of health work, and expansion of telemedicine.