NHS staff

[GreatBigBeautifulTommorow]

The government has launched the Consultation into mandatory C19 and Influenza vaccination for NHS and healthcare staff today.

I can’t do clicky links but easily searchable if anyone wanted to give opinion

@NearlyAlwaysInsane only those who have chosen not to be vaccinated actually. I question the intellectual integrity of an HCP who refuses the vaccine.

Care home staff have to, so should NHS as they both care for vulnerable people.

I don't agree with this. Especially in my role as I see hundreds of vulnerable and elderly people year on year refusing to be vaccinated themselves.
I'm vaccinated against Hep B to protect myself. Why hundreds of vulnerable and elderly can't do the same makes me question lots of things about them.

@cptartapp - where are all these elderly unvaccinated people you are seeing?

From the ONS between 8 December 2020 and 11 March 2021, 90.2% of all residents in England aged 70 years and over had received at least one dose of a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

@vodkaredbullgirl

If care home's have to have it as mandatory, why should NHS get away with it.

Why should anyone 'get away with it'??

Mandatory for all, or not at all.

Parker in my clinics. General practice. Same for the flu vaccine, I think uptake is even less for that, it stood at about 80% uptake of over 65's for last year which was considered a good year because of the pandemic. So in a 'good' uptake year one in five of this vulnerable age group didn't have.
Interesting to hear one in ten over 70's haven't received any Covid vaccine at all? More than I thought.

If we knew that a double dose Covid vaccine would last for eg 10 -20 years then I could get on board with the concept of mandatory vaccination for NHS and eventually everyone not exempt. But we do not know that so what is the point of mandating a vaccine that might only work for around 12 months.
The only argument I can see for mandating vaccines is that the government as an employer of NHS staff has a duty of care to protect them from Covid as it will be rife in the coming months. If poorer and BAME staff have low uptake compared to eg middle class white and BAME doctors there is an argument that the government need to protect these people from themselves and their own anti vaccine beliefs which are misguided given their potential roles and exposure. So being too liberal about vaccines in a way disadvantages the poorest and least educated - who are also more likely statistically to be overweight and suffer from health conditions.

In my opinion the difference between the COVID jab and the Hepatitis B one (which is mandatory) is that the Hepatitis B one is extremely effective at stopping infection to the recipient. In fact, surely the health care worker is the larger beneficiary of a Hep B jab compared to any patients they are looking after, to whom there would presumably be minuscule if any risk even if the HCW had Hep B? People receiving the COVID jab can still get it and transmit it. They just aren’t comparable in terms of efficacy.

How can you make a vaccine mandatory that doesn’t actually do what the government want for it to do?

There are about 4 staff on my ward who aren’t vaccinated. I don’t think they will stay if they are forced to have a vaccination they don’t want.

My Trust are still forbidding staff from coming to work if someone in their household has Covid.

I’m an NHS worker . I believe that all NHS staff should be educated to understand why it is so important . It’s difficult to enforce though and the NHS can’t cope with more losses . On my ward ( acute hosp) 30% of the team have resigned in the last 6 months as they no longer want to do nursing permanently wearing a mask ( so hot and uncomfortable ) putting themselves and their families at risk from covid) when there are so many unfilled easier community jobs. And this is a great team with good education and promotion opportunities in a fantastic trust with a great building and culture.... good knows how bad it is elsewhere

@DontWantTheRivalry

There are about 4 staff on my ward who aren’t vaccinated. I don’t think they will stay if they are forced to have a vaccination they don’t want.

My Trust are still forbidding staff from coming to work if someone in their household has Covid.

Our trust are allowing staff back after a negative PCR with daily LFTs Absence is really high so I guess they don’t have an alternative.

From the press briefing this week it seems it’s expected the mandate will go ahead.

See I don't think that these vaccinations are just to protect patients.

I am so cynical but I think the main aim is to prevent staff having time off sick with flu or Covid. Especially paid time off.

I said I was cynical.

I agree with a PP that if NHS staff are forced into it, everyone should be forced into it. I don’t think anyone should be forced into having it at all for any reason, especially as it doesn’t stop people catching or transmitting it, but if it’s ok to make nhs staff take it, then it’s ok to make everyone take it. They can’t be expected to take a risk with their own health by taking the vaccine for the sake of protecting other people who won’t do the same to protect them.

Carers in care homes, have to have it.