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.

So (I'll type slowly for you) how much do you think staff off with flu cost in comparison?

Do you think 1 person off for a week costs more or less than £15?

And if that person infects others, it costs more...

Hopefully that clears it up a bit for you

Who do you think arranges your appointments, writes your letters, and does loads of other stuff that your specialist doesn't.

Do you think it would be better without admin staff. So drs and surgeons etc now need to make their own appointments, write their own letters. How much time will they have to fix your ailments?

Wait, isn't the whole point of the NHS that healthcare is supposed to be free at the point of use? How is it that people are having to pay for something as basic as a flu vaccine? I genuinely don't understand how that's a thing, especially when preventing illness in the first place seems rather more sensible than paying to treat it later.

You've got to be a special type of dickhead to begrudge folk a flu jab. I get the offer of one for free every Autumn, and I work for a University. Freshers Flu is a real thing, and the cost of having lots of us off sick is obvioiusly greater than the c.£10 per head it costs the Uni.

Is your SIL a taxpayer?

I’ve had a free flu jab for years firstly teaching and then now working for the local authority. I also am entitled to a free one due to having bad asthma. I think you’re being very OTT, calm down.

This must be ragebait.

I accidentally pressed YANBU but I meant to vote YABUA

I’m non patient facing admin in a gp surgery. Just suppose we have to pay for the jab so we don’t bother. A lot of admin are on minimum wage.

I get the flu. (Hypothetical). I’m off for a couple of weeks but I’ve already spread it to my colleagues in the upstairs office. Then so many have it and it’s spread to the downstairs staff including the clinicians as we see them a lot, enabling us to do our job. Then it starts to spread to our families so everyone is off longer as they need to be off as their children are now getting it. It’s too early for all the children to be vaccinated at school.

Before long the surgery is at a standstill. No one to answer the phone, no one to see the patients. The surgery has to close and all the patients (emergencies only) have to travel ten miles to be seen at the nearest surgery. They are then overwhelmed so have to cancel all their non urgent appointments.

What a shame the NHS didn’t pay for everyone to be vaccinated. It costs a lot less than £15.

NHS admin here for many years, I’d say of everything to worry about wasting money this is the least of your worries. Even staff who don’t come into contact with patients answer phones, send appointments, type urgent clinic letters, take many calls, believe me no one steps into help so it all gets left if someone is off, the only person this affects is the patient as we can have up to six months off on full pay, so I really wouldn’t waste your energy getting worked up!

I'm admin. My office is on a ward of immunocompromised people..why do you think we get the flu jab?

Never seen a post more deserving of ODFOD!

Seriously.

Do you think admin staff don’t have contact with the patient facing staff?

All vaccines should be free and widely available. It is much less as an up front cost than medical care for the ill, their loss of income and loss of productivity.

Have you mistranscribed the numbers of days?

I'm familiar with the higher average sick days between public and private sectors but 9.1 days per year per employee is not 1.9%. (not disagreeing with the principle btw).

Of all the things to resent your SiL for .....

I would expect that whilst working for the NHS in any way, regardless of front line contact with general public they will in some way mix with staff who do work with the general public. In that effect, a bit like sleeping with people with STD's, the only protection is a condom/vaccination (Said in jest btw)

I think they should have the jabs FOC.

D you also begrudge the police force their immunisation jabs for hepatitis etc?

They absolutely not pay to have a flu vaccine. Are you on crack?

This thread is just ‘tell me you hate your SIL without telling me’ 😁

You cannot argue with stupid! 🤦‍♀️

Just because admin staff don't have patient contact doesn't mean they arent essential.
Clinical staff cannot do their jobs without admin. Everything grinds to a halt.
You are so, so wrong.
All employers should offer it free.

When I worked we offered them for staff (free)

This. It's not immediately relevant but, every time I hear people complaining about admin staff - particularly in the NHS - it comes it to my mind that Florence Nightingale was not feted for her nursing, but for her administration.

Most admin staff have regular contact with clinical staff and although they may not have direct patient contact they probably have to go into clinical areas as part of their day

You are being so ridiculous!

And flu can still spread between admin staff and to the clinical staff. Has Covid taught you nothing!?