UNN understands NHS staff would be legally required to have a Covid vaccine under plans to crack down on the transmission of the virus within hospitals.
As the government also prepares to push ahead with plans to oblige care home workers to be vaccinated, ministers are understood to believe that changing the law to apply the requirement to doctors and nurses as well would “save lives”.
Under the plans, having a Covid vaccine would become a condition of employment by the NHS, although the obligation could be targeted at staff deemed to be at the greatest risk of exposure to the virus.
The Telegraph reports ministers are “keen” on the unprecedented proposals, which were discussed by senior government figures last week and this weekend.
A Department for Health and Social Care consultation on making vaccination a condition of employment at care homes closed last week, and ministers are believed to be preparing to give the plan the green light.
In the backdrop of these proposals, a Facebook group titled “NHS workers for choice, no restrictions for declining a vaccine” has attracted some 2,600 members.
A Whitehall source said: “There are very early conversations taking place. This has been driven by feedback from the social care consultation on mandating. It would save lives and there is precedent with the guidance for doctors to get the hepatitis B vaccine.”
The Government is likely to face claims that a policy of effectively mandating vaccinations would be “discriminatory”. One senior doctor has already said the move would widen inequalities and increase workplace bullying and harassment.
“Making vaccines a condition of deployment is something many care homes have called for to help them provide greater protection for staff and residents in older people’s care homes and so save lives,” Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock has said previously.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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