A question for NHS staff - have you refused the vaccine? Is it mandatory?

[noshiforever]

I just want to ask if any of you have refused the vaccine? Is it mandatory? Would you be ostracised by your colleagues if you refused? Does anyone refuse?

Just being nosy!

I have had the vaccine, but I have colleagues who have chosen not to for various reasons. It is not mandatory. I have read news articles about some NHS Trusts wishing to make it mandatory but they have had to backtrack on that. My colleagues have not been ostracised at all. We discussed it between colleagues when we were having our first doses several months ago and had conversations about whether we were going to have it or not, but since then no one discusses it or really gives any thought to which colleagues did or didn't.

NHS staff don't need to refuse it, you just take up the offer really. Not currently legal in this country to enforce vaccination.

There is a little conspiracy crew in our department. Most people just laugh indulgently at them. No anger.

It is not compulsory. The government is currently consulting on making it compulsory for staff in adult social care homes that have residents over 65. Be interesting to see what the result of that consultation is.

Not compulsory. Everyone in my (small) team is vaccinated.

It’s not compulsory.
I’ve had both doses.
One colleague has declined. She’s admin rather than clinical staff. I don’t know why, so I withhold judgement.

Not mandatory. Most of my team have had their vaccines but a few have chosen not to for various reasons. I would say 20% have decided not to. No ostracism.

Of course I've had it. Every one in my team has had it (or is keeping quiet if they haven't), I know we don't have full take up in the department.

Yes I think we would think you were bloomin odd but frankly we are busy and have better things to do than talk about why you hadn't had the vaccine all day.

I know three colleagues who have refused it. But it's essentially confidential information and not widely known, they just happened to mention it to me. There's no pressure really - quite a few mass emails but no personal pressure or consequences.

It isn’t mandatory,. Trusts are in a tricky place if it’s refused though as they have to try and protect you from it. However, if your role is in a clinical area, your risk of exposure could be increased.

One of our team refused it (out of about 30). They weren’t ostracised, but later caught covid & had complications. Still not well enough to to work.

I and all my colleagues in my team have had it. We all booked as soon as we had the invite.

I've had mine, but this question is odd:
"Would you be ostracised by your colleagues if you refused?".

Personally I couldn't give a toss if my colleagues had the jab or not, their body their choice, and none of my business. More than half of us already had covid antibodies by July 2020 anyway.

Not mandatory where l am. I folded this week and had it done. Currently wishing l hadn’t as lm so ill -nearly as ill as when l actually had COVID

And it's not mandatory, but we had to email our reasons for declining it if we decided not to have it. A few of my colleagues were hesitant, one was trying to conceive, and back in January it was advised that you shouldn't get pregnant for at least 3 months until after both doses of the vaccine, which would mean putting off ttc for 6 months. She did decide to have the vaccine in the end, but I wouldn't have blamed her for wanting to wait until more data was available about pregnancy.

Thank you all for your honest straightforward answers. Really interesting.

Not mandatrory, but none of my team have refused it.

@pourmeanotherglass

Not mandatrory, but none of my team have refused it.

How would you feel about a team member who refused but had what they believed to be fair reason

@C25KDropOut

I've had mine, but this question is odd: "Would you be ostracised by your colleagues if you refused?".

Personally I couldn't give a toss if my colleagues had the jab or not, their body their choice, and none of my business. More than half of us already had covid antibodies by July 2020 anyway.

I'm guessing it's because NHS workers have more direct experience of the harm COVID can cause, and have been run ragged in the past 15 months, so may be perceived as less likely to be patient with the 'I'll take my chances' brigade? (I'm not NHS but that's how I read it)

It’s not mandatory. Everyone in our department has had it though, including admin. Probably because we are respiratory and have very much been on the sharp end.

@EL8888

Not mandatory where l am. I folded this week and had it done. Currently wishing l hadn’t as lm so ill -nearly as ill as when l actually had COVID

Oh no! I hope you feel better asap.

How would anyone know if a colleague had refused it?

Where I work most have, some who haven't haven't said why so no one judges but the one that is openly anti Vax and swallowed the whole Q-Anon stuff is hard not to judge as a bit thick.

@Pinchoftums

Where I work most have, some who haven't haven't said why so no one judges but the one that is openly anti Vax and swallowed the whole Q-Anon stuff is hard not to judge as a bit thick.

Is it sort of openly known though, that's the bit I don't get.

Maybe I'm too young but I'm not aware of people asking each other through work. Some have said "I won't be around Tuesday morning as I'm having my jab".

But in the NHS you might have access to jabs at work?

Unfortunately, it isn’t mandatory, as plenty of other vaccinations are. Hopefully one day it will be made mandatory.

I'm not in the NHS but in Ireland the managers have to provide a list of non vaccinated staff to Management.

There is talk of whether those people should be redeployed to less patient facing areas for their own safety but nothing decided yet.

Uptake seems very high so there may not be that many to have to redeploy.

Not mandatory at my place but there is a heavy amount of encouragement and you have to tell your line manager if you did or didn't have it for risk assessment purposes.

Most people on my ward have been extremely keen to have it right down to people in their twenties. We work with very vulnerable elderly people and we chose to do that job to help them. We do not want to be a risk to our patients. For ourselves we've all had Covid anyway when we had an outbreak and most of us do not want to repeat that experience.

I did hear tell of some staff on another ward who didn't want to be vaccinated. No-one would say anything to a persons face about it but as you see there is some gossip. I think it's their choice but I also think that the Trust should have the right to redeploy them to a safer place for them and for patients.