Mandatory Vaccines
Is the clue in the title: Manda “Tory” vaccines?
Health and Social Care settings are about to face devastating numbers of staff being sacked from those areas of work as mandatory COVID vaccines are introduced. 3rd February is the last day to have the first dose if you want to be covered by the time it becomes law.
Lobbying by our union, UNISON, and other organisations is going on apace in order to stop or delay this introduction. UNISON has always encouraged members to get vaccinated but has insisted this is a personal choice and is wholly opposed to it being made mandatory. Vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD) for health and care workers (England) Frequently Asked Questions | health news | News | UNISON National
As many as 73,000 staff nationwide will be lost from frontline services. The loss of staff on this scale will inevitably pose a serious public health risk in itself.
In the last month Barnet UNISON has been trying to work out with Adults Social Care and Family Services who may be affected by the measure and who is not. Our position with the employer is that the guidance should be interpreted as generously as possible to keep colleagues at work and on the frontline.
What we can see now is that CQC regulated areas of activity are the ones which are affected. If you work in a setting where CQC inspections do not take place, but your employer is saying you must have the vaccine we need to know now. We therefore expect all workers in Family Services to also be exempt from the regulation. Please let us know immediately if this is not the case.
The current information would also strongly suggest that those colleagues in Adult Social Care carrying out assessments under the Care Act (provided they do not have to go in and out of a health care setting, care home etc.) are also exempt. We will update you further.
In the meantime, please do lobby your MP and participate in the National Day of Action for the NHS February 26th. Events – SOS NHS