Sack looms for 8,600 unvaccinated NHS staff in region with deadline approaching

NHS England is due to provide an update this week on how to deal with staff who have not been double-vaccinated against Covid, with the deadline approaching.

The Government last year decided health workers who have face-to-face dealings with the public must meet the requirement unless medically exempt.

The deadline for staff to be double-jabbed is March 31, but workers will need to have received their first vaccination by February 3, in order to allow the space between first and second doses.

The latest figures show that health trusts in Staffordshire, Birmingham and the Black Country have 8,607 workers who had not been double vaccinated by November 28 – the latest data available.

It is understood that new updated guidance is imminent on the procedure for removing NHS staff.

The issue is one of the most contentious facing NHS managers, with previous guidance instructing trusts to consider redeployment for those who have not had both vaccinations.

It also comes at a time when trusts are most hard-pressed over staffing, with Omicron cases causing sickness and isolation, and staff weary from the strains of two years of the pandemic.

At Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, 87.2 per cent have received both doses according to the update – leaving 1,172 workers who had not met the status.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust has 1,604 members of staff who do not meet the criteria, with 83 per cent double-jabbed.

There are 1,363 workers at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust who are short of the requirements – with 88.5 per cent of workers double-vaccinated.

At Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, 87.7 per cent have received both doses – leaving 689 workers who had not.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) has 811 staff who haven't been double-jabbed, with 93.4 per cent who have.

And there are 2,968 workers at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust who are short of the requirements, with 84.3 per cent double-vaccinated.

David Loughton, chief executive of The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, said they were offering support to staff who have not had their first or second doses of the vaccine to address any concerns.

He added: "The trusts are currently working through the current guidance relating to mandatory vaccination and we are aware that there is further national guidance expected.

"As we make our preparations, we continue to engage with the small number of staff members who are yet to receive their first or second dose – offering support in order to address any concerns they may have about the vaccine.

“Our vaccination teams are working incredibly hard to ensure staff have access to their first, second and booster vaccines, as by doing so we can ensure our workforce, their loved ones and patients are protected as we enter a busy winter season.”

A spokesperson for UHNM, which runs County Hospital in Stafford, said: “We have always been clear with our staff that by getting the life-saving Covid-19 vaccination they will protect themselves, their loved ones and their patients and the overwhelming majority of employees at our hospitals have already done so.

“We will continue to support staff who have not yet received the vaccination to take up the evergreen offer and will work with staff who are exempt to offer redeployment in other services.”

The trust says one-to-one conversations have been the most effective way to support colleagues to make an informed choice, often leading to vaccination uptake.

Bosses say that line managers are encouraged to have supportive one-to-one conversations with un-vaccinated staff members to identify reasons for vaccine hesitancy and provide information that will support them to make an informed decision about the vaccine.

Walk-in and pop-up vaccination clinics have also helped staff to be able to get the vaccine more conveniently.

In a recent report to the board of directors at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, its chief operating officer Liam Kennedy said a group had been established to work through the implications of the mandatory vaccine.

He wrote: "There has been a task and finish group set up and the first task are to obtain a vaccination status for the 20 per cent of staff that we do not have a vaccination status for.

"A project plan is beginning developed as there is much to do over the next three months.

"We are working with integrated care system partner organisations to take a consistent approach to this in the Black Country, wherever possible.

"The board may be asked to prospectively agree our approach to defining 'front line' staff as well as our approach to redeployment, once that system-wide approach has been agreed between chief executives."

The issue is a potential headache for NHS bosses who are dealing with significant staffing issues due to the increase in Omicron cases, and the ongoing strains of the pandemic.

Government guidance issued in December urged trusts to make sure workers understood the potential impact of not meeting the criteria, stating: “If it is unlikely that the worker will be fully vaccinated by April 1, 2022 (and no exemption applies), undertake a formal process with the individual in line with internal policy if applicable ensuring that the individual is aware of the possible implications of their failure to be vaccinated by April 1, 2022.”

Announcing the plan in parliament last year, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, said it could not be “business as usual” when it came to health workers and the vaccine.

He said: “While our health and social care colleagues are a cross-section of the nation at large, there’s no denying that they carry a unique responsibility.

“They have this responsibility because they are in close contact with some of the most vulnerable people in our society – people who we know are more likely to suffer serious health consequences if they get Covid-19.

“So – whether it’s in our care homes or in our hospitals, or any other health or care setting – the first duty of everyone working in health and social care is to avoid preventable harm to the people that they care for.

“And not only that, they have a responsibility to do all they can to keep each other safe.

“These twin responsibilities – to patients and to each other – they underline, once again, why a job in health or care is a job like no other.

“So it cannot be business as usual when it comes to vaccination.”