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.

P.S A lot of the consultants/ doctors and medical students have also declined to have the vaccine in my area, as have a lot of secretaries, porters, cleaners, receptionists etc, all of whom have been mixing with their families, been shopping, mixing with other HCP's in staff break areas etc too.

I am talking about all of those groups of people too - well the patient contact roles where close contact is necessary - I have said Health Care Staff as in staff who work within health care.

@BearEastie

''I am also entitled to my own decision which is not to be treated by a non-vaccinated person. Surely my decision should be listened to as well?''

Erm................no.

think about it for a moment............and substitute 'non-vaccinated' for 'foreign' or 'black' or 'muslim' .........................

Just f*ing NO ! You do not have the right to dictate who bloody treats you ! FFS

Foreign, black, muslims don't increase risk to me or my future health.

How dare you insinuate they do?

Everyone has a right to request other people treat them. That's the beauty of the NHS.

@babyyodaxmas

Most nurses and doctors don’t have to have it but midwife, paramedics and surgeons do.

Our antibody levels were checked before we were allowed on the ward in 97 (med student)

Think they’ve changed it now to only include staff “who may lose sight of their limb in a patient’s body cavity”. 👀👀😂

updown you have every right to refuse treatment from a foreign, black, or Muslim HCP. Think about it — the alternative is that they tie you down and force you. You just don't necessarily have a right to demand that someone else without that characteristic is provided instead.

But what on earth makes you think "unvaccinated" is parallel to these examples?

@VivaLeBeaver Now I am going to have covid contraction fears and fears of walking around with someone else's limb lost inside of me (but at least I know they won't give me Hep B)

The staff, and I mean all the staff, have been offered the vaccine, but they are NOT allowed to ask which staff have accepted/refused, because that is PRIVATE medical information !

I honestly don't know how you think your doctors or the ward manager will know who has or has not had the vaccine ??

But you somehow expect them to find out ,and coincidentally share this information with all the other staff by default i.e ''Oh, Susan must have refused the vaccine because she's not allowed to care for BearEastie''

I like the idea of specifying right at the beginning/admission that due to your health status you only want to be treated by vaccinated staff. That makes it less personal against an individual. Whether they can accommodate this or not is another thing.

Though seeing as youve been vaccinated and the stats are showing good effectiveness I think you’re worrying too much....but I can understand why you are.

Dd is clinically vulnerable and hasn’t had a vaccine yet, she’s been in and out of hospital over the last few months. We’ve never once asked about the staff’s vaccination status. I think there is a point where you just have to carry on with stuff.

@updownroundandround have you read the thread, which is about asking the individual themselves whether they have had it?

I've never said i would go and ask a manager or the ward nurse, have I?

I have my flu jane every year as do most of my colleagues
Not one of us wears a badge
You have absolutely no right to ask people their confidential medical information
I am not allowed to refuse to treat unvaccinated patients and for the last year there was no vaccine and me and my colleagues still had to care for patients in extremely close proximity
We had to get on with it
If you don't want to be treated stay away

Jab

@VivaLeBeaver I am definitely going to be asking before admission (with all the helpful posts on this thread). I may even see if I can get a copy of their risk assessment or policy because it may make it easier for me.

I hope your DD gets her vaccine soon (if that's what you want)

It's amazing how many people on this thread seem to be desperate to jump in and take outraged offence, by somehow pretending to themselves that OP is thinking about asking this question out of some kind of idle curiosity rather than because, as an immunocompromised person, she's very naturally worrying about whether or not the hospital are going to take all reasonable steps to keep her safe from the potentially deadly virus during her upcoming hospital stay.

No, there isn't a 100% guarantee that people who've been vaccinated are less likely to pass the virus on than those who haven't been, but it seems more likely than not that vaccinated staff will be less likely to pass it on.

OP, YANBU in any way. I agree with those who've already pointed out that it would be potentially negligent for hospitals to have unvaccinated staff looking after extremely vulnerable (immunocompromised) patients. I'm sure that before long legal departments will get a grip on this (it's amazing how much more sensible large organisations can get when they believe they're at risk of having to pay substantial compensation), and I hope that'll happen at your hospital before you have to go in.

I am not allowed to refuse to treat unvaccinated patients and for the last year there was no vaccine and me and my colleagues still had to care for patients in extremely close proximity

But CEV people were not treating COVID patients, unless they specified they wanted to - they were given a choice because of the risk to them.

Oh and good luck with your beautiful NHS that you can ask for alternative staff to care for you
Guess you live in la la land and have missed the staff shortages in every hospital

@BearEastie

Foreign, black, muslims don't increase risk to me or my future health.

How dare you insinuate they do?

Everyone has a right to request other people treat them. That's the beauty of the NHS.

And it is insulting to assume that any staff carry a risk to you.

I think you misunderstand the "beauty of the NHS". You have every right to refuse to allow someone to treat you. The NHS has every right to tell you to go home. You do not have the right to an alternative person. That's the beauty of the NHS! In case you haven't noticed, the NHS is very busy and staffing is stretched. If you don't want the staff on offer, then you may as well tell them that you want to postpone the treatment until (whatever date you think you will be less at risk from any of the thousands of things that might infect you). I'm sure somebody else who has been waiting a long time for this treatment will be grateful to get it that little bit faster.

Well we have a vaccine to deal with Covid thank goodness
Sadly the NHS still cannot cure stupid

Like I also said upthread I am not sure if I agree with mandatory vaccinations across the board either. It's difficult.

I don't think vaccination will or should be made compulsory, but those who choose not to have it may have to accept that they may not be allowed to work with the clinically extremely vulnerable. Choices, consequences etc.

Not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but it really makes no difference if they have been vaccinated or not. They can still carry it and pass it on to others, even if vaccinated. So the risk is much the same.

Just f*ing NO ! You do not have the right to dictate who bloody treats you ! FFS

Actually, we do all have the right to choose who treats us. Just because it is free at the point of delivery, doesn't mean you have to put up with poor standards. If someone doesn't want to be treated by an unvaccinated person, it is their right to request that.

''Foreign, black, muslims don't increase risk to me or my future health.

How dare you insinuate they do?''

I'm not, but there are a minority of people who may have an alternative viewpoint e.g national front members etc.

There are people who have very 'unpopular' and 'unproven' viewpoints. e.g that not being vaccinated, but wearing appropriate PPE, will put you at 'greater risk' somehow

However, I agree fully with the following statements of yours.

Everyone has a right to request other people treat them. That's the beauty of the NHS.''

''You just don't necessarily have a right to demand that someone else without that characteristic is provided instead.''

So, it must follow that you do not have the right to demand that someone else who has had the vaccine is provided for you instead ! Obvious when you point it out, isn't it !

And it is insulting to assume that any staff carry a risk to you.

Wow...

@Moondust001actually I do have a right to treatment and a right to choice. We all do. The NHS is not run like a medical dictatorship.

Would you also tell a woman who's been raped that she wasn't allowed to request a female carries out her internal examination?

@FleetwoodRaincoat the latest research has shown that it reduces transmission as well.

@Hobnobswantshernameback

Oh and good luck with your beautiful NHS that you can ask for alternative staff to care for you Guess you live in la la land and have missed the staff shortages in every hospital

This was my first thought to be honest.

I worked on a hospital ward until December. 1 trained nurse & 2 HCAs per wing of 17 patients. If you refuse to be treated by that nurse then you refuse treatment - there would be nobody else.

Of course there’s one other nurse on the other wing, but they would have 17 patients of their own & would not take on an extra one for reasons of a patient’s personal preference.

What if the ward hostess has not been vaccinated? Will you have no food or drink?

You openly paralleled those groups to unvaccinated people.

I do have a choice, and I do have a right to request I am treated by staff who do not put me at risk. Like everyone else entitled to NHS care.