Coronavirus caused staff at Northumbria Healthcare to miss more than 10,000 days of work last year, figures reveal.

The British Medical Association say the figures – which show millions of days were lost nationally – demonstrate how the pandemic has affected a health service that was “woefully” short on staff before it even began.

NHS Digital data shows the equivalent of 113,569 full-time staff days were lost due to sickness at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust between March and December.

Around one in nine of these (11,950) were because of Covid-19, with staff worst affected towards the end of the year.

Around 2.5 million days were lost in the NHS across England due to the virus, giving an overall sickness absence rate of 4.7 per centbetween March and December.

Dr David Wrigley, deputy chairman of the BMA, said: “We know the NHS went into the pandemic woefully short on staff and these worrying figures highlight how Covid-19 has made a severe workforce shortage even more desperate.

“Covid-related staff absences coupled with the significant negative impact on NHS staff mental health and wellbeing during the last year have meant more staff needing to take time off work, threatening the NHS’s very ability to provide essential services.”

According to the figures, more than half a million days were lost across England due to stress, anxiety, depression, or other psychiatric illnesses in December – the highest of any month since the pandemic started.

The Department of Health and Social Care said it is investing £89 billion to support the “record number” of NHS staff working in England, and to help address patient backlogs.

A spokesman added: “We recognise the enormous pressure this pandemic has put on our heroic NHS and social care staff and we are funding dedicated mental health support, including a 24/7 helpline, to provide help to those who need it.”