Healthcare worker in York hits out at mandatory jabs for NHS staff

Government regulations approved in December mean that NHS staff members must be double vaccinated against the virus by April 1 - or they could face dismissal without redundancy pay. This means they must have their first jab by Thursday this week at the latest.

But Pip Shippey, who works for the NHS in York, said she is convinced that making Covid jabs a requirement for NHS staff will only hinder the performance of the health service.

She said that now is the time that the NHS needs to be increasing staff numbers to help restore patient services and handle the backlogs caused by restrictions in place during the pandemic.

Pip said: "I'm not anti-vax, I'm pro NHS, and I know we can't afford to lose staff at this time. The vaccine mandate is a blunt tool. Vaccines don't guarantee immunity.

"Compulsory vaccination for care home staff has exacerbated staff shortages and it will do the same for the NHS.

"Patient safety and recovery takes staff time. It takes time to properly wash your hands, don the PPE, and wipe surfaces and equipment.

"We need to keep all our staff. The domestics who deep clean rooms, fill soap dispensers, disinfect door handles. The health care assistants on dementia wards who make sure that when a patient puts down a cup, another patient doesn't pick it up. Infection control is crucial for a range of infectious diseases such as pneumonia and MRSA, not just Covid. We need enough staff to make sure we do this well."

• Hundreds of NHS staff at York trust still not vaccinated as deadline looms

A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it continues to urge all staff to get vaccinated as part of their professional responsibility to patients.

They said: "Since vaccines were introduced a year ago, we have made it as simple and convenient as possible for staff to receive the vaccine.

"The regulations apply to frontline workers, but also to non-clinical workers not directly involved in patient care but who may have direct contact with patients.

"We have written to all staff who are not yet vaccinated to explain the new regulations and to explain that if they choose not to be vaccinated it may have implications for their employment."

Pip said that the NHS should let staff continue testing themselves and keep enough employees to avoid compromising patient care and infection control.