Queensland Health staff who contract COVID-19 will be able to access up to 20 days of paid pandemic leave immediately after being diagnosed, without having to exhaust their sick leave.
Under the current arrangements, staff must use their sick leave before accessing pandemic leave. The new policy will be applied retrospectively, meaning employees who have contracted COVID-19 since 13 December 2021 will be able to use pandemic leave and have their sick leave credited back to them.
The new paid pandemic leave will also apply to health staff who take leave to care for family or other household members as a result of COVID-19, in recognition of the sacrifices they have made.
This is wonderful news for NPAQ members and Queensland Healthcare workers.
Staff can apply for pandemic leave via MyHR, their internal payroll system, and must certify that they have been diagnosed as COVID-19 positive.
Should you have any concerns or difficulties about accessing your Pandemic Leave please lodge a support request via the member dashboard.