The Times - UK (2021-11-10)

12 Wednesday November 10 2021 | the times

News

Requiring NHS staff to be double-
jabbed against coronavirus is likely to
prompt 73,000 workers to leave front-
line roles, according to official estimates.
The extension of the policy to care
staff who go into people’s homes, as well
as care home workers, could mean the
loss of 38,000 people and require “fur-
ther intervention” in the sector, the
government’s impact statement warns.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said
yesterday that 100,000 frontline NHS

them to make a positive choice to

protect vulnerable people, to protect

their colleagues. And of course to pro-

tect themselves.”

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voi-

ces, the campaign group for the over-

60s, said: “While we support the health

secretary’s decision, on behalf of older

people, we question the delayed imple-

mentation until next April. How many

vulnerable people will be infected by

unvaccinated NHS staff over the next

six months and how many will die?

“Staff recruitment worries should

not be allowed to delay this life-and-

death measure. We don’t want a repeat

of last year’s scandal in care homes.”

A former government adviser on

vaccines described mandating vaccines

as “a superficially attractive but simplis-

tic response to a complex problem”.

Robert Dingwall, professor of sociol-

ogy at Nottingham Trent University,

questioned whether the policy would

add much to existing infection control

measures, suggesting it was simply

designed to “symbolise that ministers

are doing something”.

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of

NHS England, said: “The NHS has

always been clear that staff should get

the Covid vaccination to protect them-

selves, their loved ones and their

patients, and the overwhelming major-

ity have already done so. We will con-

tinue to support staff who have not yet

received the vaccination to take up the

evergreen offer.”

The national picture

There were 33,117 new cases reported

yesterday, bringing the total to 9,366,

or 140.2 for every 1,000 people

Yesterday, there were 262 deaths

reported, bringing the total number of

deaths in the past seven days to 1,160. The

rolling average number of daily deaths is

165.7, up from 161.6 a day a week ago

How many have died?

Daily cases

(based on seven-day moving average)

14.8% decrease from seven days ago

Five-year average

2020/

0

10,

20,

30,

Apr Jul Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct

Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct

0

20,

40,

60,

Seven-day

average R numberNational

1.1 to 1.

Deaths

0

500

1,

1,

Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct

Seven-day

average

0

2,

4,

Oct Jan Apr Jul Oct

Hospital admissions

Seven-day

average

How many are in hospital?

How many people have Covid-19?

How does 2021 compare?

There were 10,987 deaths from all

causes recorded in England and Wales in

the week to October 29, of which the

coronavirus accounted for 7.8 per cent.

The number of weekly deaths was 1,

higher than the five-year average for the

same time of year

There are 8,900 patients in hospital

being treated. 1,025 patients are on

ventilators. An additional 834 patients

have been admitted, down 7. 8 per cent in

the seven days to November 5 when this

data was last updated

News Coronavirus

Forcing NHS staff to be jabbed

Kat Lay Health Editor
Oliver Wright Policy Editor

workers yet to be vaccinated against

coronavirus would need to take up the

offer of jabs by April or lose their jobs.

The same policy is due to come in for

care home staff tomorrow.

Javid said the policy would include

any health and social care worker or

volunteer in a setting regulated by the

Care Quality Commission who has

direct, face-to-face contact with

patients, which includes doctors, nurses,

dentists, those providing care in people’s

home, porters and receptionists.

The government’s impact statement

estimates that 126,000 people across

the NHS, private healthcare and social

care will remain unvaccinated despite

the mandate. About 54,000 more

individuals will be vaccinated as a

result, it suggests.

The document warns that the need to

replace unvaccinated staff may disrupt

a variety of health services, even as the

NHS attempts to tackle a waiting list of

5.72 million people.

In social care, despite a £162.5 million

fund designed to support recruitment

and retention this winter, the assess-

ment says: “We cannot be confident

that the system — even with additional

funding — will be able to absorb the loss

of capacity resulting from the imple-

mentation of this policy, without

further intervention.”

Benefits of the policy include reduc-

ing the number of coronavirus infec-

tions and deaths, less sickness absence,

and greater reassurance for the public,

it notes.

Mandating vaccination has divided

opinion, with many experts fearing it

could backfire and entrench vaccine

hesitancy, causing staff shortages.

NHS leaders had called for the delay

until the spring, to let services focus on

winter pressures, but patient represent-

atives questioned why the policy was

not coming into force immediately.

Announcing the policy to MPs, Javid

said: “I’ve carefully considered the

responses and the evidence and I’ve

concluded that the scales clearly tip to

one side. The weight of the data shows

our vaccinations have kept people safe

and they have saved lives.”

Requiring staff to have winter flu

vaccinations or booster jabs remains

under review, he said, adding: “No one

in the NHS or care that is unvaccinated

should be scapegoated, singled out or

shamed. That would be totally un-

acceptable. This is about supporting

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