Mandatory Covid jabs shouldn’t be controversial – NHS staff have a duty to do no harm | Frances Ryan

Frontline workers cannot expect to remain unvaccinated in a pandemic and to keep working with vulnerable people

The health secretary, Sajid Javid, has confirmed that NHS staff will have to be vaccinated against Covid in a bid to address the 103,000 personnel who have not yet had a single dose. The move will finally bring frontline healthcare workers inline with care staff who have to be immunised by this Friday or risk losing their jobs, although NHS staff will have until next April in the hope of avoiding a mass winter exodus. Unions and some doctors’ organisations have voiced strong opposition.

In some ways, it is remarkable that requiring NHS staff who have face-to-face contact with patients to be vaccinated is even controversial. Healthcare workers have a professional duty of care not to harm patients, which is why the majority have already taken the vaccine, and few could expect to remain unvaccinated in a pandemic and to keep working with vulnerable people. However, mandating health measures is not something to be done lightly.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3H8jyfg