To think free flu jabs for NHS admin staff is ridiculous??

[thisisjustridiculous]

My SIL is admin staff in the NHS, she has no patient contact and no real contact with medical staff, beyond half an hour a week.

She’s just got a free flu jab! AIBU to think this is disgusting? It must cost the NHS so much, admin staff should have to pay. I agree that frontline staff should get it for free to protect the vulnerable but admin staff shouldn’t.

You don't think NHS admin staff are essential?
They are the backbone behind all the doctors and nurses. They also work with those clinical staff so likely to pass on the germs to them.
My son is a teacher and his school gets someone in every year to give out flu jabs because it's cheaper than having teachers and school admin staff off sick. Just as it is for NHS staff from cleaners and porters to surgeons.

Answer phones? That's a joke. I went for a hospital check up and they gave me the next 6 monthly appointment telling me if I needed to change it don't phone as they no longer answer phone calls

Really don't give a hoot whether they get flu jab for free or not though

It doesn't need to be on the general eligibility list for the NHS to offer it to their staff. I mean, they don't offer salaries, pensions or cycle to work schemes to the general public either.

Are you taking the piss? I’m admin NHS staff and I’m not specifically patient facing but I work in the breast unit and we are offered flu jabs every year. We were also offered the Covid jab free too and didn’t get to work from home when Covid was rife. I don’t know who you think you are but I’m glad I’m not your SIL!

I’m not saying that NHS staff shouldn’t get them. Just telling that poster that the medical staff in a school are more exposed than admin staff.

When I worked for a local authority we were offered free flu and covid vaccines. Also free eye tests and glasses for those using computers in their role. All this went a little way to making up for the shit wages.

Also, I am barely above minimum wage so yes, I think this is one small bloody perk!

I work on a very busy NHS hospital ward, a while ago my badge broke (it was fairly old and quite beaten up and no longer worked)....I need it to get in and out of my ward, into locked supply cupboards, our changing rooms, other wards etc...I literally can't do my job without it.

Thankfully a member of our admin team was able to sort me out with a brand new working badge within minutes of me popping up to HR and I was back to being able to get to everywhere I needed to and delivering my care to my patients as I was before.

Of course admin staff are essential, for god's sake 🙄.

In my town, if you do not qualify for a free jab, you can get it for £22 at a pharmacy.

If I owned a hospital, and had facilities and staff capable of giving vaccinations, and could buy them at trade prices, it would cost me very little to offer them to workers.

Honestly, I would give it free to anyone who wants it. Flu affects productivity, and puts a strain on medical resources, a&e etc.

If we can fund social prescribing, we can fund flu jabs for all.

I think you've quoted the wrong person..

What a bizarre thing to feel so strongly about.

As several others have said, it’s a small price to pay to help prevent sickness down the line which is far more costly. And essential for the NHS as staff absence causes a multitude of issues, including admin staff.

But why this bothers you so much is simply beyond me.

You sound a little unhinged, OP
@thisisjustridiculous
Are you ok?

Yes and truck drivers should pay for their own diesel.

My daughter is a teacher, she gets one for free. Her school decided it was worth the cost vs costs of absence.

Cost of a flu jab £20-30.

Going rate for a supply teacher, per day, is close to £300. (this includes agency fees, taxes etc. The teacher sees a lot less.)

Oh someone got out of the wrong side of bed this morning didn’t they ? What’s the point of offering free jabs for your staff if you’re not going to do it for all of them. It’s a cost effective way of trying to keep down sickness levels. Anything in particular sparked this penny pinching rant ?

Sorry!

I’m not saying that NHS staff shouldn’t get them. Just telling that poster that the medical staff in a school are more exposed than admin staff.

It’s pretty ignorant to dismiss medical staff in a school.

School staff not getting the flu jab for free is nothing to do with NHS admin staff getting it for free though.

Look to your employers... not eachother.

I blame the unions. They have run this country into the ground. See also: schools.

...and our jabs.

My law firm pays for every member of staff, including admin staff to have it. It’s more cost effective than having flu spread round the office and I very much doubt they pay £15 each when paying in bulk.

The NHS doesn’t want admin staff off with flu or spreading flu around (including to medical staff and vulnerable patients).

I‘m referring specifically to that poster’s dismissive and patronising attitude to school staff.

I am classed as admin staff, see patients once a year due to an audit I need to take part in and I got my flu jab free last week. Am very grateful, I travel to work by train and tube every day so this minimises my sick leave should I catch flu squashed on the tube at 8am and ensures the buildings you want in tip top condition remain so because I’m not off sick 😃.
Ive had it every year for the 17 years I’ve been there (shocker!)

MN seems to be getting more 2020 by the day at the moment.

Last time I read a thread about others being begrudged a vaccine was before the COVID rollout when there were daily wails of "why are they getting the COVID vaccine first? It's not faiiiirrrr". They being the elderly, the at risk and those NHS healthcare workers!

You can't force people to get vaccinated and even if you could, you certainly couldn't force them to pay for it.

It costs the NHS much less than £15 and it prevents more pressure throughout autumn and winter.