Vaccines to be compulsory for front line medical staff

[bumbleymummy]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59215282

The covid vaccine, but not the flu vaccine. Although, I suppose the door has been opened for that one now too. They’re being given until spring. I wonder if there will be a massive walk out before winter. If you thought you were going to lose your job come spring, why would you work your ass off all winter? This could majorly backfire.

All front line staff have to have hepatitis B vaccination & that doesn't seem to cause a fuss.

My hospital's staff FB group has already got threads up from people saying they will leave rather than be vaccinated. This is really going to help the staffing crisis. We were 50 registered nurses short recently on *one8 shift - this is a fairly small/mid size hospital, not a massive city hospital. Over 400 registered nurse vacancies!

Seems sensible to me.

Doesn’t the hepatitis vaccine provide protection against hepatitis for 20+ years?

It's also deceitful. My mum died in the hospital where I work after catching CoVID in the hospital where I work.

When we went to see her in the final days, the beds were packed close together as they needed to fit so many in and the curtains were not even drawn as staff needed to be able to see the patients as they were too breathless to move or call for help. Obviously there is no expectation for the patients to wear masks.

There was better infection control at the supermarket with social distancing, plastic screens between people and ventilation.

But no, nothing to see here. Never mind proper PPE and infection control procedures. Never mind that lots of NHS staff have antibodies from having had COVID before there was any vaccine.

The problem is the irresponsible, germ infested care home staff and NHS workers who won't get the vaccine. The government has no responsibility here at all.

Everyone in my department has had it afaik, so not going to be a big impact to all departments. I personally don't have a problem with it being part of the job requirements.

Its like on call of backshift, People maybe don't like it, but if its a condition of working here then I suppose it needs done!

I guess my nursing career is over 🤷🏻‍♀️ too much work for too little money anyway.

@CovidCorvid

My hospital's staff FB group has already got threads up from people saying they will leave rather than be vaccinated. This is really going to help the staffing crisis. We were 50 registered nurses short recently on *one8 shift - this is a fairly small/mid size hospital, not a massive city hospital. Over 400 registered nurse vacancies!

Exactly. Doesn’t seem to be about ‘saving the NHS’ if you’re willing to fire the staff who worked through a pandemic unprotected. And how is it about patient safety when a) vaccinated people can still contract the virus. It’s more about protection for the individual than for others. And b) they aren’t mandating the flu vaccine when flu also puts elderly/vulnerable people at risk.

Quebec backed down on the vaccine mandate for health workers last week iirc (although unvaccinated still require regular tests) and tbh I thought we would be doing the same and they would back down before the mandate for care workers comes in on Thursday. This is really not going to do us any favours.

And don't get me started on the complete lack of government action on getting support in place for health services to have enough staff, supplies, buildings, ventilation ambulances, oxygen supply infrastructure etc for what we all know is coming.

THIS is what we need to make the government focus on. MPs trying to distract us by stamping their feet and complaining that some NHS staff aren't vaccinated makes me so angry.

I personally don't have a problem with it being part of the job requirements.

For hiring new people, perhaps. Although I maintain that it doesn’t make sense. This is about firing people who haven’t had it, even though they worked through a pandemic without it putting their own lives, and the lives of their family at risk. What happened to the clapping?

I'm so sorry about your mum, @SleepWhenAmDead.

I appreciate your point that the government has presided over declining and unacceptable hospital conditions, and that it is not a trustworthy government on Covid.

And I worry that we will lose NHS staff over a vaccine mandate.

But I guess I still don't understand why so many staff are not wanting to be vaccinated with any of the covid vaccines, when they have so many other vaccinations under their belts. I suppose I'm a little concerned that there's an online narrative circulating that's putting people off covid jabs specifically for troll-type purposes.

I think it is sensible. Some frontline medical staff do already have to have a certain vaccination status for other illnesses such as hepatitis. Why not for Covid 19?

It won't necessarily cause mass walkouts. Some people are just a lot of hot air that way.

One of my mother's carers was very anti the Covid 19 vaccine and adamant that she wouldn't be getting it. As soon as the government made it compulsory that carers had it by October or would be unable to continue working in their roles she backed down and got her vaccine. I doubt she was the only one.

I think it is a perfectly fair requirement.

I’ll happily get you started on it @SleepWhenAmDead More people need to be getting angry! The billions that have been wasted on crappy track and trace systems and implementing domestic vaccine passports when it could have been invested in the very service that we’re apparently trying to save!

@bumbleymummy

I personally don't have a problem with it being part of the job requirements.

For hiring new people, perhaps. Although I maintain that it doesn’t make sense. This is about firing people who haven’t had it, even though they worked through a pandemic without it putting their own lives, and the lives of their family at risk. What happened to the clapping?

Its not a punishment! And they worked through the pandemic while there was no vaccine at huge risk to themselves. And now they are being kept safe. Yes there should have been better PPE and policies before but that doesn't mean that they should be put at risk now. This thread is going to be another weird one

Some frontline medical staff do already have to have a certain vaccination status for other illnesses such as hepatitis. Why not for Covid 19?

Because the hepatitis vaccine actually prevents you from contracting hepatitis and protection lasts for 20+ years?

I’m a doctor. Happy to have my jab. I think it’s sensible. I know very very very few people at work not jabbed.

I don’t know a single doctor who has turned it down. I have spoken to a few healthcare assistants who were wary at the start.

@bumbleymummy

Some frontline medical staff do already have to have a certain vaccination status for other illnesses such as hepatitis. Why not for Covid 19?

Because the hepatitis vaccine actually prevents you from contracting hepatitis and protection lasts for 20+ years?

So? What is your point? The flu vaccine protects you for one year and then you have another. What is with all these anti vax faux concern posts?

What happened to the clapping?

The clapping was silly and embarrassing. As many health care workers themselves said. Decent pay rises would have been more appropriate.

@CovidCorvid

My hospital's staff FB group has already got threads up from people saying they will leave rather than be vaccinated. This is really going to help the staffing crisis. We were 50 registered nurses short recently on *one8 shift - this is a fairly small/mid size hospital, not a massive city hospital. Over 400 registered nurse vacancies!

Yes, but no doubt we will shortly get the sanctimonious arseholes posting to screech about how you shouldn't be working for the NHS if you don't care about people (because it's a 'calling', don't you know) and expecting far higher standards from healthcare staff than they would ever hold themselves to (and doubtless for far less money than thet get for sitting smugly behind their desks).

All of them failing to see the bigger picture - who is going to look after them and the elderly relatives they don't want to care for themselves when so many of these healthcare staff leave because they are fed up with unsafe working conditions and being treated like resources rather than people. Forced vaccination is just the cherry on the top.

And just to be very clear, I’m not against the vaccine in general. It has saved many lives and I think we did a great job of rolling it out and prioritising our most vulnerable groups. I am very against mandating it and I do not think anyone should be losing their job because they decided not to have it. It’s even more unreasonable if they’ve had the virus and are immune.

@bumbleymummy

I’ll happily get you started on it *@SleepWhenAmDead* More people need to be getting angry! The billions that have been wasted on crappy track and trace systems and implementing domestic vaccine passports when it could have been invested in the very service that we’re apparently trying to save!

I agree with this. The scale of the waste is staggering.

@bumbleymummy can't we be angry with poor PPE, track and trace etc AND think getting vaccinated is a good idea?
I can't understand why someone working in healthcare would refuse. Don't they understand science?

@SleepWhenAmDead

It's also deceitful. My mum died in the hospital where I work after catching CoVID in the hospital where I work.

When we went to see her in the final days, the beds were packed close together as they needed to fit so many in and the curtains were not even drawn as staff needed to be able to see the patients as they were too breathless to move or call for help. Obviously there is no expectation for the patients to wear masks.

There was better infection control at the supermarket with social distancing, plastic screens between people and ventilation.

But no, nothing to see here. Never mind proper PPE and infection control procedures. Never mind that lots of NHS staff have antibodies from having had COVID before there was any vaccine.

The problem is the irresponsible, germ infested care home staff and NHS workers who won't get the vaccine. The government has no responsibility here at all.

I'm so sorry about your mum.

Actually you raise some really good points.

I wasn't allowed to see my mum after she had a very serious accident for 3 months while in hospital. When she was moved to a different hospital she had to go into isolation while she waited for PCR to come back negative BUT during that isolation period I was allowed to visit her I was delighted to be able to see her after so long but seriously, how messed up is that?!

The job centre will be busy this winter

I agree OP. The vaccine doesn't stop you from catching covid, nor does it stop you passing it on so why? Why is everyone so up in arms that everyone must be forced to have it?