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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Enforcing flu vaccinations

30 replies

creampie · 06/02/2015 09:27

I work for the NHS. A few weeks ago we had an email from line managers stating all staff were to have the flu vaccination unless they had a good reason not to. Acceptable reasons were along the lines of allergy, previous serious reaction, etc. things like moral objections, feeling crap after the last one, didn't appear to be acceptable. We were then told we had to email managers with our flu vacc status, ie whether we had had it or not. It now transpires they are telling people that if they have not had the vaccination and they are taken ill with any flu type illness (ie not even actual flu) that they will not be paid any sick pay.

Not sure how I feel about this but it makes me somewhat uncomfortable. Surely your own private medical information shouldn't be available to line managers under threat of no sick pay? If you get flu, there is a chance that it would have been avoided if you'd had the vacc but this is certainly not guaranteed. What if you broke your leg skiing? That could have been avoided but they will pay sick pay for that.

Is this even enforceable?

(DOI: I actually have had the vacc, before any of this rubbish started. I feel as frontline staff I should take precautions, and am happy to, but am very uncomfortable with the threatening nature of all this)

AIBU to object to this forced declaration of vacc status under threat of no sick pay?

OP posts:
DropYourSword · 06/02/2015 09:28

If you work as frontline staff you are expected to have a number of different vaccines though.

funnyossity · 06/02/2015 09:30

I thought this year's vaccine is for all practical purposes useless? They are making themselves look foolish.

antimatter · 06/02/2015 09:32

Maybe those managers need to be a bit careful about their statements and read this:
www.gov.uk/government/news/flu-vaccine-shows-low-effectiveness-against-the-main-circulating-strain-seen-so-far-this-season

LurkingHusband · 06/02/2015 09:35

What a Tory idea !

LurkingHusband · 06/02/2015 09:35

Curious what a Labour MP would make of this too ...

creampie · 06/02/2015 09:39

Yes I saw that about it being fairly useless. In fairness, this came about a few weeks ago before they'd decided it was rubbish.

I suppose it isn't any different to the other vacs we have to have. Just feels a bit more "big brother" this time, somehow.

OP posts:
missingmumxox · 06/02/2015 09:39

A lot of employees who offer the vaccine to staff are taking a dim view of staff who didn't have it being off sick with the flu.
But I would like to see it tested in a court.

To be honest, it is not part of your contract, I would not e-mail my line manager as this could have been done by your GP so not part of health surveillance, if you had it through OH, OH hold the info already so you don't need to tell them. (My guess is your OH have already refused to hand the info over so that is why they are going through this method)

I would ignore, and get the union involved but my guess is you will get weeks of hassle to send it then nada

TwoOddSocks · 06/02/2015 09:43

I have no objection to front line staff requiring vaccinations in general. I think being prepared to do this is a reasonable requirement for this kind of job. That said I'm not sure I'd apply it to the flu vaccine; the cost-benefit analysis is more marginal than is the case for other vaccines. I'd want to see a thorough statistically justified explanation for the policy.

PtolemysNeedle · 06/02/2015 09:48

I think that's outrageous, and I can't believe there isn't a law against witholding sick pay if you choose not to inject possibly useless or damaging substances into your body.

RandomNPC · 06/02/2015 09:54

I can't see how this is enforceable. Is it actually in the sickness policy?

LurkingHusband · 06/02/2015 10:06

They should get ATOS to do the testing. 100% of people will be found well enough to work.

LurkingHusband · 06/02/2015 10:07

PtolemysNeedle

can't believe there isn't a law against witholding sick pay if you choose not to inject possibly useless or damaging substances into your body

it's a gross infringement of Human Rights (remember - the things Teresa May is so keen to take away).

Dowser · 06/02/2015 10:46

Here's an interesting article on all kinds of vaccinations

www.whale.to/a/day5.html

When a doctor is against vaccinations ( mine is) you know you need to do some more digging.

My grandson is autistic and was fine , developing normally till he had the MMR

Then all that changed. So sad.

ouryve · 06/02/2015 10:48

Ironic, given that this year's vaccine was out of date before it was even released and only had a 3% success rate.

ouryve · 06/02/2015 10:52

And here we go.

My boys were both autistic before they had their vaccination, Dowser. The DD of someone I know died of complications from measles a few years ago, after years of increasing pain and disability. It's not just a few spots.

Most doctors are pro-vaccination, for very good reason.

RandomNPC · 06/02/2015 10:55

Dowser, I'm not going to press this because we really don't need another anti-vaxxer thread, but that link is bollocks. She's a renowned quack.

antimatter · 06/02/2015 12:19

I think there should be clear understanding how flu jabs are being developed vs jabs for preventable child diseases such as Polio or Rubella!

If you put them into the came category it shows lack of awareness and knowledge! Please go and educate yourself.

Dowser · 06/02/2015 12:35

Hang on a minute. I'm entitled to my opinion. I don't remember reading this thread was only for pro vaccination people.

LongDistanceLove · 06/02/2015 12:39

And people are entitled and quite rightly so to say that you are talking bollocks.

Dowser · 06/02/2015 12:42

Well I believe in taking the advice of my doctor. If that was directed at me.

RandomNPC · 06/02/2015 12:43

Perhaps you shouldn't link to articles by a known anti-semite and Holocaust denier, Dowser

Dawndonnaagain · 06/02/2015 12:46

My grandson is autistic and was fine , developing normally till he had the MMR

Please don't give out this sort of misinformation. The MMR has fuck all to do with autism. If your doctor is advising you against MMR then your doctor has a problem. May I remind you that Andrew Wakefield is no longer allowed to practice in the uk.
Oh, and the MMR hadn't been invented in the thirties when my father and uncle were born, nor in the fifties, when I was born.

Dawndonnaagain · 06/02/2015 12:50

Lorraine Day

LongDistanceLove · 06/02/2015 13:15

Yes sorry I didn't bold your name Dowser

howdovaccinescauseautism.com

I digress, I believe that your managers are on dodgy ground if they enforce that, this years vaccine isn't that effective, so people are going to catch it regardless, maybe they know that and are trying to not pay sick pay?

gamerwidow · 06/02/2015 13:22

Isnt a certain % coverage linked to additional funding. This is probably why the managers are pushing this (unethical as it is)

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