King’s Mill Hospital bosses expecting more mandatory vaccine guidance

Hundreds of NHS workers in the county could have been sacked over the requirement – including staff at Sherwood Forest Trust, which runs Sutton’s King’s Mill and Mansfield Community hospitals.

However, the Government U-turned on the policy after coming under pressure from unions and NHS workers to protect the health service from entering a staffing crisis.

Hospital workers who were yet to take up the vaccine initially had until February 3 to receive their first jab under the initial plans, with a second dose required by April to protect them from losing their jobs.

At SFH, less than 5 per cent of the trust’s 5,000-strong workforce remained unvaccinated at the start of February.

The Government’s U-turn came with confirmation ‘more guidance would be provided’ on any future policy.

Now an SFH director has confirmed the trust expects further guidance from Whitehall later this month.

Speaking at the board of directors meeting today, March 3, Clare Teeney, SFH director of people, said: “Those vaccinations will no longer be mandated, but further guidance will be out on March 15.

“As soon as we get that we will publish it more widely.

“We are still encouraging colleagues to have the vaccination and to get in touch with us if they are unsure or have questions.”

Consultation

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I have concluded it is right and proportionate to proceed with revocation of Covid-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment in all health and social care settings and have published the government’s full response to the consultation.

“I am also laying the regulations to revoke vaccination as a condition of deployment.”

The Government’s decision has been welcomed by union bosses and council leaders .

Jamie Godber, of Unison, said: “We welcome this move because if we can save people’s jobs, that’s the ideal. It’s a relief for us and our members and it takes the pressure off.”

It comes as Ms Teeney told the meeting the trust’s vaccination centre at King’s Mill has now surpassed 200,000 jabs since opening in December 2020.

This, she said, has provided ‘citizens, patients and colleagues’ with the jabs as she praised staff for distributing the vaccine.

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