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.

Lots of admin staff come into contact with sick and vulnerable people. YABVU. Why are you so angry?! Also it probably doesn’t cost the NHS £15 per person – that’s just the private healthcare price.

I can't believe you are this wound up about it and am assuming it's a reverse.

The NHS will have done the same cost-benefit review as many other employers and worked out that cost to offer for free is less than cost of having staff off sick.

Why do you think they would be able to demand their admin staff have the jab and pay for it themselves?

Good luck getting a consultant appointment if their secretaries are off sick.

If you are jealous you could always get a job as nhs admin. I don’t think that they are paid well but the flu jab makes up for it.

How do you suppose clinical staff will do their jobs properly if their admin staff are off sick with flu.
And why on earth do you begrudge staff earning 25-30 k per year a free £15 flu jab.

I get it for free as I work in a school. I also got it for when I worked in a library.

Also a lot of NHS admin work in really grim environments. Think stationary cupboards converted into offices with some carpet and a lick of paint but all the ventilation of a stationary cupboard.

It's a cost benefit analysis they made.
Some private companies also offer free jabs because they work out in their case it is more likely to save them money than not. It's easier for the NHS because they are already offering vaccines to frontine staff so it's simplest just to slot everyone into the system rather than separating them out. It also wouldn't suprise me if the overall cost to the NHS per staff member was less than the 15 pounds it would cost an individual anyway. So an absolute bargain

Which is why I agree they need them. Just not at a cost to the taxpayer!

Amazing how NHS staff were all heroes during Covid and are now money sucking leeches. There are usually plenty of admin jobs available in the NHS OP, if £15 means that much to you why don’t you apply for a job yourself?

Not just public sector; I have only ever worked in the private sector, albeit I am now retired, but I have always been offered a flu jab even if I didn't always bother!!

I don't think you're getting the point. Multiple businesses offer the flu jab for free because it costs them less than not offering it. As in - the actual cost of employees going off ill with the flu and the loss of productivity is way more than offering free flu jabs. Same goes for the NHS - if admin staff are off ill then that ultimately affects patient care and costs them (or us as the patients and tax payers!) more.

I see it purely as a smart move not one out of the goodness of their hearts. More employers should see the benefit. There's nothing to be outraged about imo.

Is this just a wind up, you do know the admin staff are taxpayers too.

And then you will be first in the queue of people whining that they are short staffed because someone chose not to pay for the jab and got infected.

I think a lot of the things the govt gives to people free are a piss-take but a free flu jab is the least of them

Lol, YABU. The cost of administering it to people who are literally already in the building is going to be negligible. The NHS is widely expected to be on its arse this winter and is absolutely dependent on admin staff to keep things running smoothly. They also have constant contact with clinical staff so it makes sense to vaccinate everyone to minimise how much flu will spread.

Even if it wasn't necessary I can't get up in arms about an employer looking after their employees.

It costs the NHS £10.08 and that's only if they book the free option at their GP or a pharmacy. It will be less in the NHS building. This is less than one hour of pay at minimum wage. How much do you think a week off sick costs the NHS in sick pay?

My LEA pays for all school staff to have the flu jab, even the finance 'team' who is one person at my school. They don't do out the goodness of their hearts or because they want to waste money - its cost effective. They don't want schools shutting or pay out for supply staff. I imagine the same principle applies here.

At my last Trust not only did all staff members (including our very valued admin staff) get a free flu jab... You also got a voucher for a free drink at the hospital Costa if you got your jab!
Great idea, increased uptake of the jab and reduced sick days accordingly.

Shortsighted and lack of critical thinking OP.
Admin staff do valuable work that allows those who are client facing to spend valuable time with clients.
Not to forget the client facing staff spend time with the admin staff.

"I pay your wages!" blah, blah, blah.

You're obviously wrong. Far more people should get a free flu jab.

Of course admin staff should have a flu jab to keep them at work and stop them infecting their clinical teams.
Today I have spoken to four admin staff,
a Dr receptionist who told me where to find the online form.
the admin person who triaged the form and needed to clarify a detail
the ward admin lady so the letter sent home with wrong information on it can be corrected
the District Nurses admin who took my call and arranged a DN to call me back to arrange my appt with them.

i am so pleased they were all at work today, being paid rubbish Band 3 wages, and doing skilled work. A £15 flu jab will be the only bonus they get, as all other perks are frowned on for NHS staff.

I was NHS admin before I retired. We were offered a flu jab every year. It wasn't compulsory but you felt the unspoken pressure to have it as I am sure a dim view would have been taken if we had refused and then gone off sick with flu!

All these scroungers, where does it end

There is always one. You probably got your heavy cold from going out and mixing with someone at the clinic.