To ask Health care staff treating me if they've had their covid vaccine?

[BearEastie]

I am immunosuppressed. I've been vaccinated but they don't know how well it will work yet.

I would prefer to only be treated by staff who had been vaccinated, thus if they said no I would ask for limited contact or a swap in nursing etc.

Just read shocking statistics from the hospital I am due to go to next month for a two week stay and I am starting to freak out just a little bit.

I just don't think people should be put on the spot about their private information, nor do I think they should be expected to share that information, nor do I think people should be guilt tripped or manipulated into it (which is what all this 'if you cared you would... why wouldn't you want to make someone feel better...' is).

Whether or not someone is vaccinated should not be private information in case of healthcare professionals treating people who are immunosuppressed. Patients should be reassured that they are vaccinated. I'm not trying to guilt trip you. I'm just saying what I think!

Belladonna12
Genuine question here, because I'm not a HCP, surely if the risk assessments are done and account for the fact that not everyone can have a vaccine (covid or another) there is a decision made as to whether certain people aren't appropriate to be deployed in a particular way/certain clinics have an occupational requirement because the risk is too high to have someone unvaccinated working there?

How does occupational health balance that for HCP?

There has to be a way that doesn't rely on patients essentially saying 'I want to know if you've had the vaccine and if you won't tell me, I'll assume you haven't and I expect you to change all the staffing around the fact that I don't want to see anyone who hasn't had a vaccine for whatever reason'.

I work for the NHS and we've all been encouraged to put the sticker on our Id badge
I wouldn't be offended if someone asked me
Most NHS staff have now had their first jab and if patient facing their second jab

I am a hcp and I haven’t seen any stickers like that. The absence of one does not mean no vaccine.

I only kept the flu sticker because it can cover my HORRENDOUS photo on my ID card.

I got a sticker when I had my jab

Shall get another one to cover my photo what a great idea

@BearEastie

80% of staff in our trust have been vaccinated, apparently that is above average nationally. All will have been offered it.

As far as I know no one has been redeployed for not having the vaccine, but it may be true in other locations.

The 2 staff members who I know haven’t had it are young (20’s) who are thinking of starting a family. The vast majority jumped at the chance of having it. I don’t agree with the people who don’t have it, to me it’s selfish (unless contraindicated), but there’s not much we can do unless it’s mandatory.

It is none of your business..I would be furious to be asked.

Why would you be furious if you were asked loulouljh

I’m assuming you work in healthcare and with patients

It’s not comparable to the flu jab, no one has to self isolate if they come into contact with someone who has the flu no other viruses have turned our lives upside down like Covid has

Should I choose not to have the jab I am putting those I work with at more risk as well as myself but I can make the choice for myself but not others but can absolutely understand why people who are at a higher risk would like to know

Furious seems like a massive overreaction.
I understand why people might not want to tell and even why they might consider the question inappropriate and rude, but ime when you work with the public in any capacity at all you will get asked inappropriate things from time to time and it’s a good idea to maintain a bit of personal distance rather than letting yourself get excessively wound up by it.
I have never worked in healthcare but I would imagine in a situation where the people you deal with are nervous or in pain this is even more important.

I really wish they had a covid badge system in place like the flu fighter ones

There is, there are stickers. I got one when I got vaccinated, same with the flu jab. I got my covid vaccine at the first available opportunity, and highly recommend the vaccination to anyone who is entitled to it.

However, you are being unreasonable. You are not entitled to the medical history of HCPs, nor do you have the right to demand a different practioner.

I have had my first vaccination (second awaited due to government policy on timing)

I would not appreciate being asked about my personal medical information. For the sake of colleagues, who would find such a question difficult to answer without giving very private information, I would most likely refuse to answer such a question. (I might, if I knew you well, answer it in conversation).

As parallax80 clearly laid out, any risk that my health might pose to others (patients or colleagues) is between me, my line manager and occupational health. I have a professional responsibility to engage with the processes (including infection control, risk management etc) set out by my employer. There is no requirement for me to divulge private information.

Incidentally, for various reasons I have a flu jab every year. I have once received a sticker.

If someone asks me I'll just say yes cos that's easy enough to do
(Didn't get offered any stickers though)

However if I had not been vaccinated for a private medical reason eg early pregnancy or TTC then I would be less comfortable answering because the next question will surely be 'why'
I guess I might be brave enough to say 'no for medical reasons' and then decline to answer further.

If they asked that I then did not treat them I would attempt to accommodate the request if possible (just like a request for a male or a female Dr or nurse) but if not possible I would have to say it's me or no-one. I have been risk assessed as being safe to work in this area with appropriate PPE and do they wish to discuss it with the ward manager?

In an ideal world unvaccinated staff would be deployed away from the front line or at least to lower risk areas for their own sake and patients sake but if there are not enough staff to do that then it will not be possible.

You can redeploy people in an emergency and NHS staff have accepted that and sucked it up so far but at some point they will want to go back to the jobs they were appointed to and then who will backfill the unvaccinated people in the frontline? People do ultimately have employment rights and the ability to vote with their feet and can't necessarily just be permanently swopped to cover others.

Ultimately OPs concerns are valid but this kind of issue is for the Trust to deal with at a management level and not for individual clinicians who may have little choice about where they are deployed to answer qs which are personal and quite likely to get antagonistic.

I work part time in a care home. Sadly I can categorically tell you from experience this vaccine does not stop people getting it or transmitting it.

I get everyone is holding onto that idea for dear life but its harmful.

Whilst I wouldn't be furious to be asked I would find it awkward especially if I had not been vaccinated.

I mean this is not in the ballpark of an innocent q like 'Do you have children?' which I will generally answer although technically it's a private q. Usually the person asking means no harm and just wants to chat

Are you vaccinated? I would feel wary of because I would be afraid it's going to lead to some awkward situation at best or at worst being verbally abused. I guess if I had chosen not to be vaccinated I'd have an answer ready.

Statistically speaking the vaccine cuts the chances though and if I was OP of course I'd want the safest environment possible.

If I am the ward manager though I have to trade the higher risk of transmission against the risk of not being able to staff the ward and I am likely to conclude it's safer to have some staff than no staff and that a slightly higher risk in that context is acceptable. It's the context we've been operating in so far after all pre vaccines so clearly it is not an unacceptable risk as we have been accepting it thus far and telling staff PPE works (it probably does a bit but also is not a magic force field)

Assume they have where I work unless you have a significant reason which is rare you will get the vaccine to continue work like any other vaccine or health check, not only that you said You've had the vaccine yourself so there is virtually no risk calm down

@LemonSwan please stop spreading misinformation and lies. It has been very successful so far and on the recent studies has shown significant prevention. Do no comment on a sector you clearly don't work in.

Statistically speaking the vaccine cuts the chances though
From my own anecdotal experience I have to say I find it very hard to believe, and we have never had a full blown outbreak before. One of very few homes to achieve this. Our infection control was and still is exceptional. It has always managed to stay relatively contained. This time however it has not. Looking at timelines the only plausible explanation is the vaccine has elongated the incubation period to 3 weeks and so people were out of isolation when they shouldn't have been which caused the spread. Thankfully the majority of the residents are not ill even though they are positive so it does work very well in that regard.

Mally2020
I do work in that sector thank you. It has been absolutely successful at stopping deaths so far for us. Transmission no

LemonSwan not true and as for your sample size it is biased given your supposed line of work. You also evidently haven't factored in second vaccine which 90 percent of people haven't received yet and your care home certainly wouldn't have. I work for the laboratories in covid analysis and this is false representation.

Sorry whats not true?

Mally
I have to go to bed as its 3am but rather than have an argument about this - I would appreciate that as you work in the area you may be able to solve our logical nightmare for us.

• Number of residents go to hospital in short succession
• Come out and go into isolation for 2 weeks and are barrier nursed
• Test negative throughout and at end of isolation
• A week later around 50% of those who were in hospital tested positive (c. 3 weeks from hospital)
• We are now having staff and other resident positives following another week later. Every day there are more. Time will tell where we will be in a few weeks time.

We only have staff and hospital admissions as any way for covid to enter.

No staff positives before and we are tested daily lateral flow and lab tested.

I dont want an argument about this. We want an answer as to why this happened. Luckily I have found you so you may be able to shed light.

Would you also ask them if they have a flu jab..?

I can only add to what at least one other person has said - the vaccine absolutely does not prevent transmission. I know this because I work in a care home with almost 100% vaccinated staff and residents and it still spread like wildfire once it got in.

However, I’m pleased to say it did successfully reduce symptoms and death so, in my experience, you’ve protected yourself by having it. Well done, that’s all you can do.

To suggest people who refuse the vaccine are bad carers, don’t care about PPE/infection control or should be in a different job is just ridiculous. I know there is a lot of fear around Covid but anyone thinking like that needs to get a grip! Yes I’ve had the vaccine myself before anyone starts jumping to conclusions! I had it for my own protection though - because I know it’s of no benefit whatsoever to anyone else at work - unvaccinated people are only affecting themselves, it’s that simple.