Bethany Collins
Health secretary Sajid Javid has confirmed it will be compulsory for frontline health care staff in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Following a government consultation seeking to lower hospitalisation and death rates, as well as the strain on the health service, vaccinations against Covid-19 will be a condition of employment for NHS workers from Spring 2022.
The consultation comes as the government tries to navigate the upcoming and difficult winter ahead without the requirement for further lockdowns. Javid told parliament that “all those working in the NHS and social care will have to be vaccinated. We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and of course protect the NHS itself.”
According to the health secretary, over 93% of NHS staff have already had their first dose of the vaccine and a further 90% have had at least two doses. The government’s decision, once it receives parliamentary approval, gives the estimated 100,000 unvaccinated staff around 12 weeks to get fully vaccinated.
Social Care Workers
The announcement came just before the deadline for social care workers to be fully vaccinated. The requirement, approved in July, followed concerns of low vaccine take-up among staff working with vulnerable members of the community. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported in May, there were over 40,000 Covid-19 related deaths in care homes since the pandemic began. This amounts to around a third (31%) of the total deaths in England alone.
Prior to the decision, around half of English care homes had more than 20% of their staff yet to have a first dose of the vaccine. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) highlighted that, “at least 80% of staff and 90% of residents in a care home should have had a first vaccination dose to provide a minimum level of protection” across all care homes.
To meet this recommendation and to further reduce preventable deaths in high-risk settings, the requirement applies to all health care workers and other professionals entering a CQC-registered care home. Broadening the policy to include anyone who may come into close contact with vulnerable individuals is expected to lower the risk of serious harm from Covid-19 to those individuals.
The health secretary announced that since the implementation of the requirement in July the number of unvaccinated social care workers has dropped from 88,000 to 32,000, which is a significant decrease of 63%. It is hoped that the roll-out of the policy to NHS staff will see similar figures reported.
Opposition and Criticism
“ninety minutes on a statutory instrument to fundamentally change the balance of human rights in this country is nothing short of a disgrace.”
Although the implementation of mandatory vaccinations has been praised by many, there remains a significant number of people opposed to the policy. Javid alluded to the opposition, noting there was a balance to strike between the benefit of compulsory vaccinations and the concerns of those against the requirement.
Fears over governmental overreach and the loss of human rights saw objections from MPs as well as the British public. Conservative William Wragg MP, for example, disputed the government’s authority to pass the measure through parliament. He said, “ninety minutes on a statutory instrument to fundamentally change the balance of human rights in this country is nothing short of a disgrace.”
Similarly, two petitions amassing over 450,000 signatures on the issue were debated in parliament. The petitions, entitled “outlaw discrimination against those who do not get a Covid-19 vaccination” and “do not require health and social care workers to take a Covid-19 vaccination”, highlight the public’s concern over the right to choose and consent freely to medical procedures.
In response to concerns raised in the petitions, the government said that “Covid-status certification could have a role to play in the reopening of society” and that “there is a clear public health rationale for making Covid-19 vaccinations a condition of deployment” to protect those in high-risk settings.
“We have made arguments that this will result in people leaving health and care jobs, putting pressure on already stretched services.”
UNISON, a trade union, were also in opposition to mandatory vaccinations despite being in support of the vaccination program. They say, “vaccination should be your decision and the UK government should promote persuasion and reassurance. We have made arguments that this will result in people leaving health and care jobs, putting pressure on already stretched services.”
Pressure and Stretched Services
“we simply cannot afford to lose thousands of NHS staff overnight”
Comments made by UNISON highlight concerns that compulsory vaccinations will cause more harm than good and place increased pressure on an already struggling health service. Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers in England, called for a softer approach to encourage staff to get the vaccine. He added that the possibility of staff resignations was a situation that the NHS could not afford with over 90,000 open vacancies in England.
Similar staffing issues are prevalent in the social care sector, with over 112,000 vacancies. Furthermore, of the staff employed in the sector, UNISON report care agencies are no longer able to provide emergency care. Adding that firms are turning down requests for temporary cover due to unvaccinated staff. There is a real concern among union members that patients may be put at risk and care homes could close if they are unable to maintain safe staffing levels.
Labour MPs were also urging the government to exercise caution over the decision. Shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth MP, points to problems chronic understaffing may cause adding that “we simply cannot afford to lose thousands of NHS staff overnight.” Shadow health minister and GP, Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, urged the government to tackle vaccine misinformation and that to “force carers to choose between losing their jobs or taking a vaccine they are afraid of is inhumane.”
Despite objections to the policy, the health secretary continues to seek parliamentary approval with all health and social care workers in close contact with patients must be vaccinated by the spring. The delay until April is hoped to mitigate any resignations by staff unwilling to get both doses during the toughest season for the health and social care sector.
Featured image courtesy of Number 10 on Flickr. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Bethany Collins
First Class Politics graduate from the University of Exeter. Exeposé Print Features Editor 2020-21. Contributing writer, workshop host and former Current Affairs Editor (2020) for Empoword Journalism.