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Covid jabs ‘to be compulsory for all NHS staff from next year’
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Covid vaccination is to be made compulsory to the NHS’s 1.2 million full-time staff across England, new reports are suggesting today.
According to The Guardian, the tough new requirement won’t be in place until April next year after Health Secretary Sajid Javid acknowledged warnings that introducing it soon could lead to staff leaving during the winter, which is the health service’s busiest time of year.
An official announcement is expected as soon as Thursday.
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On Monday, the chief executive of NHS Providers Chris Hopson said that while a small majority of hospital bosses back jabs becoming compulsory, more than 90% of them fear it could worsen the understaffing that is already endemic across the service.
He pointed out: “The potential loss of those staff who don’t take the vaccine when the service is already under huge pressure and carrying 93,000 vacancies. The government must recognise the risk of losing unvaccinated frontline staff and support efforts to maximise voluntary take-up first.”
In response to the backlash, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We have taken action to introduce vaccination requirements in care homes and we recently consulted on extending this further across health and other social care services. We will set out our response in due course.”
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Back in June, it was announced that the Covid vaccine will be made compulsory among all care home staff, with the Health Secretary warning staff to get their jabs by November 11th or face getting sacked.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea slammed the move, saying, as per The Mirror: “Care homes now risk losing so many staff some will no longer be able to operate. The sector is in crisis, this could be the final straw for many. Residents will have to find new ones, causing anxiety.
“It’s not too late for the Government to delay the jabs rule.”
More than 90% of NHS staff members in England have already had one dose of vaccine, and just under 90% have had two doses.