Early years workers getting the vaccine now

[Catlover10]

My boyfriend has just been told today he can book himself the vaccine through his work (he works in a private nursery in England). Some of the more senior members there have booked theirs today. Just wondered if anybody knew anything about this?? It doesn’t affect me as I don’t work but obviously it’s good my partner is getting it as he can’t distance from the children at all. I’m guessing all teachers will fall under this “health and social care” bracket now and be offered the vaccine over the next couple of weeks?

Fair enough. I was only asked about my job as general chit chat whilst being vaccinated

My manager today has spoken to our local vaccination centre who told her they're now expecting Nursery workers to book for their vaccine - I'm not sure who she spoke to and how official they were..!

My colleagues have all booked for a few days time, I might do the same and see if anything more gets said about it over the coming days

Just to confirm my partner had his jab today- they asked what he did and he explained he worked in a nursery up close with young children and babies where there was special needs children, and they happily jabbed him, as well as a young girl in front of him from the same franchise as him. Didn’t seem funny about it or anything so think they just have had quite a lot that day with similar job roles.

A family member has heard from her private nursery where she works today that she can book her vaccine. She’s followed the link and booked it for in a couple of weeks - all it said she needs is ID and face covering.

Roses...yes in the LA I work for, all of our EPs have been offered the vaccine alongside health and social care staff, as well as other SEND LA staff visiting schools and homes.

I'm on half-term but will check my work emails every day just in case our council decides SEN staff can have it. Although, either way, I still think it should be a national thing and not a postcode lottery.

I would love to know for sure what the conclusion to this is. I am a nanny and I know about 6 who managed to get vaccinated this weekend (various sites) and then nursery workers turned away at the same site as where a nanny went. So confusing.

I'm wondering how this started... what bit of information was put out and by whom. The National Careers Service site as far as I can see has said the same thing since March 2020, so it can't be that.
Vaccination of front line social care workers stated in January (according to this NHS letter: www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2021/01/C1125-Self-referral-for-social-care-worker-vaccination-11-February-2021.pdf ) so did a local authority send an authorisation letter to the wrong place and thus started all this rolling.

Has anyone found the original source that said that all Early Years workers were eligible?

I'm in the next group due to be called (group 5 over 65) and I'd be quite happy for teachers to be done ahead of me

As a vaccinator I actually think this has been a massive fuck up and I am incredibly angry about it.

The intention to protect vulnerable children and those with special needs is entirely appropriate and I fully support this.

Unfortunately the system didn't limit the online booking slots to carers for vulnerable children and cheeky fuckers have taken full advantage.

What has really pissed me off today is the number of commercial nursery's who have actively encouraged their staff to get vaccinated, meaning I have spent my day vaccinating healthy people in their twenties looking after equally healthy toddlers, while people who are clinically vulnerable still have no idea when they will get their jab.

I've even vaccinated 2 women today who were on mat leave and a nursery "worker" from a school that my daughter happens to teach at. That nursery is currently closed.

With my sensible head on, I really can't blame the people who have booked perfectly legally, but I'm gutted for people who are at higher risk.

Someone I work with went to get hers done today and got turned away. Seen on early years Facebook groups people managing to get theirs done yesterday but from sounds news starting to filter through that this is a huge mistake so more and more being turned away. Lots of statements being released etc.

Our manager said to book..didnt because it didn't sound right..turns out it isn't.

Still don't get how this came about..the career list made no sense to be linked to it especially with some of the job roles on it.

@PurpleWh1teGreen

As a vaccinator I actually think this has been a massive fuck up and I am incredibly angry about it.

The intention to protect vulnerable children and those with special needs is entirely appropriate and I fully support this.

Unfortunately the system didn't limit the online booking slots to carers for vulnerable children and cheeky fuckers have taken full advantage.

What has really pissed me off today is the number of commercial nursery's who have actively encouraged their staff to get vaccinated, meaning I have spent my day vaccinating healthy people in their twenties looking after equally healthy toddlers, while people who are clinically vulnerable still have no idea when they will get their jab.

I've even vaccinated 2 women today who were on mat leave and a nursery "worker" from a school that my daughter happens to teach at. That nursery is currently closed.

With my sensible head on, I really can't blame the people who have booked perfectly legally, but I'm gutted for people who are at higher risk.

I agree, I find it really frustrating. It is obvious that Early Years workers are not entitled to the vaccine unless they care for CEV children, the Green Book makes it really clear. They have used a careers website to justify it among themselves... I am surprised it's not received more media attention to be honest. There are millions of CV and 50+ people waiting for their vaccines and prioritisation was always supposed to be about clinical need.

There are plenty of people being vaccinated who need it less than Nursery workers who are being forced to work, Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

Who also would not be eligible and should not be getting the vaccine. (Unless they are CEV or entitled due to age, of course.)

@Averyyounggrandmaofsix

There are plenty of people being vaccinated who need it less than Nursery workers who are being forced to work, Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

This.

@Motorina

Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

Who also would not be eligible and should not be getting the vaccine. (Unless they are CEV or entitled due to age, of course.)

I'm not sure industries have sifted through employees to work out who needs it or not - probably too time consuming I imagine

@Averyyounggrandmaofsix

There are plenty of people being vaccinated who need it less than Nursery workers who are being forced to work, Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

I can only go by my experience, but I haven’t vaccinated any council employees working from home.

I've also wondered how it happened. Clearly someone googled and came up with the careers page showing early years workers under a social care heading. Personally I think it's clear that it's got nothing to do with vaccine entitlement- although I don't blame them for trying to use that to their advantage! I can see that maybe the booking website doesn't determine a persons occupation (I've no idea if it asks, I've never used it, just guessing) but surely those answering the phones at 119 should have known? People were being asked their occupation, and being told yes they're definitely entitled. I'd have expected them to have a specific list of who is and isn't entitled to a vaccine- to stop things like this happening!

For what it's worth I do think early years staff should be vaccinated ASAP- but if they're not entitled yet they should never have been able to book vaccine appointments.

I work for a local authority and we are only vaccinating frontline health and social care staff. I know lots of people at other local authorities around my area and I don't know anyone WFH who has been offered the vaccine due to working for a local authority.

Great to know that everyone is happy for early years staff to continue to work without ppe and have no protection at all but then again we have always been bottom of the pile.
But when we tried to spk out there was uproar at the thought of nurseries closing .Makes my blood boil.And no, not everyone that works in a nursery is a healthy 20 yr old but some ppl are as thick as shite on here.

@Averyyounggrandmaofsix

There are plenty of people being vaccinated who need it less than Nursery workers who are being forced to work, Council office workers who have worked from home for the past year for example.

Council office workers aren't in the priority list so aren't being vaccinated out of turn.

My sister works in early years and I can see why she is thoroughly pissed off and feels like she doesn't matter to the government. On the other hand, despite being in London where covid was running absolutely wild at the end of last year, since Feb last year she has had one isolation of two weeks when a child in her care tested positive, back last Summer, and no one else got it. So it does seem less of an issue in that age group from my anecdotal sample of 1 nursery.

And to the op who was biased about who she vaccinated, it is not your right to judge and if you feel so much hostility maybe you shouldn't be vaccinating ppl at all.

@Ilovegreentomatoes

Great to know that everyone is happy for early years staff to continue to work without ppe and have no protection at all but then again we have always been bottom of the pile. But when we tried to spk out there was uproar at the thought of nurseries closing .Makes my blood boil.And no, not everyone that works in a nursery is a healthy 20 yr old but some ppl are as thick as shite on here.

Absolutely. I'm in my 40's, asthmatic and have a high BMI - neither bad enough to be entitled to a vaccine, but I've just been left to hope that neither will cause me to suffer severe illness with Covid.

I spend my working week with a mixture of 50 children , but more importantly several adults. As a nation we're told that being near others is what causes transmission, so we must stay away. We don't stay away - it isn't always possible in our line of work.

Not particularly pleasant to hear nursery workers, who are probably desperate, being called Cheeky fuckers

I didn't book my vaccine on the back of all of this, it didn't sit comfortably with me as it became obvious it was a big misunderstanding, but I don't blame anyone for getting it if they can

Great to know that everyone is happy for early years staff to continue to work without ppe and have no protection at all but then again we have always been bottom of the pile.
But when we tried to spk out there was uproar at the thought of nurseries closing .Makes my blood boil.And no, not everyone that works in a nursery is a healthy 20 yr old but some ppl are as thick as shite on here.

It's frustrating isn't it. I work with people in their 50's, people with health conditions, one who should be shielding but can't afford to.

I'm not saying we should have been top of the list for vaccinations but we should be on there somewhere! Maybe people don't realise just how exposed we are, maybe lots don't really care 🤷🏻‍♀️

@needadvice54321 Exactly .We are probably seen as cheeky fuckers for daring to want some protection. Us minions must carry on and shut up.