Vaccinators - a question.

[LegoPandemic]

I volunteered as a vaccinator this time last year to get us out of the mess. Zero hours contract, £11 per hour. I wasn’t doing it for the money though but to help, so didn’t mind.
A year on the same people are still jabbing. It’s cold and it’s hard work (although rewarding) Most are retired HCPs or like me part timers. I earn at least £100 per hour in my day job and it’s easier.
Doctors get £15 per jab. How much of that is the cost of the drugs and overheads? One vaccinator can vaccinate 30-40 people in 3 hour session.
Just wondering how long volunteers will be expected to keep doing this and when the NHS will be training a workforce to take over?

I'm a volunteer with St John Ambulance so don't get paid at all. I also work so have to fit it around that. I'm happy to keep on volunteering for as long as I'm needed but I know a lot of people can't spare the time. I will increase the number of sessions I do if needed.

The NHS simply hasn't got the staff to train to do this. I would rather they concentrated on looking after sick people while jab the healthy as I can't do what they do.

That’s great that you feel that way. Well done. I felt that way at the beginning but feel they need to put something else in place now to stop people feeling taken advantage of. Maybe the majority feel like you though.

I agree, they're taking advantage of you. I fear you'll have to quit in droves for them to do anything to tempt you to stay.

Dentists are being paid a fortune to vaccinate.

Which Dentists are those? Could I see a link please?

But I presume others don't mind? If you do then stop doing it and allow others to make their own decisions.

Our NHS trust vaccinates all of it own staff but as PP said where do you think they're finding the spare staff in the NHS to do this? Our trust is running on massive vacancies - there aren't spare staff for the NHS to take this over.

Talking again about bringing in the military

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-booster-vaccine-army-omicron-b1966793.html

Doctors don’t personally get £15 per jab. The GP practice gets £12.58 per jab and that has to cover everything - the wages of the receptionist at the vacc site, the time taken to invite and remind people, the wages of the actual vaccinator, the person doing consent (of different) and the clinical lead person at the site, the admin costs of setting up clinics, organising the staffing rota, ordering the vaccine, ordering the patient leaflets (altho the actual vaccine and leaflets are free), clinical tone and oversight in ensuring they are complying with the ever changing requirements of the programme etc etc etc etc….

I’ve been doing vaccinations on a Saturday on top of usual clinical work for free as an employed GP. Just to get our patients vaccinated. The money won’t necessarily go to staff like it would at a vaccination centre. Staff like you at vaccination centres are doing such a great job, it’s a repetitive task and I don’t think the NHS has the resources to do them all.

@horseymum

Dentists are being paid a fortune to vaccinate.

Dentists in general aren’t delivering the Covid vaccine in England. It’s possible some dentists have got themselves trained to vaccinate and are then helping out GPs, pharmacists or large vaccination centres, but the payments still go to the main site, who might then use some of that income to pay staff wages.

Dentists were paid well initially ( although it was in part to make up for the extreme loss of earnings they suffered when the initial lockdowns forced practices to close. Even now, but are still suffering from extreme restrictions).
However he money has run out effectively, and whilst some are still involved in the vaccine roll out, the remuneration has vastly reduced, snd they've been encouraged to get back to their day jobs.

They have made an enormous contribution to the original programme mind you. A workforce that wasn't really working, so had time on their hands, and highly experienced at giving injections and dealing with medical emergencies

I have volunteered too and although things are better now initially there wasn’t anywhere enough work for (tens of thousands) or volunteers. We also got messed around a lot. Cancelled shifts etc. The vast majority of centres wanted paid staff only, or mostly paid staff.

And volunteers had to jump through a million hoops to get trained up.

I also applied to be paid to do it (as a non-hcp) and that application was a complete waste of time because nowhere near me was taking on non-HCPs as vaccinators.

Has been a big mess from my perspective. Potential to employ thousands of young people to do it, combined with many volunteers who are happy to help. Instead doctors and other HCPs are being asked to do it on either their days off or instead of their day job.