Vaccines - should they be mandatory?

www.itv.com/news/2021-03-23/mandatory-covid-vaccinations-for-care-home-workers-being-considered-says-matt-hancock

Looks like it will become mandatory in England.

I do not think that they should be compulsory as such; but that there should be things you cannot do if you choose not to have one. For example work in the NHS, or in a care home, or go abroad.

Yes I agree completely, from very early on I thought the clap for carers was absolute nonsense and I am afraid this confirms it for me. Most people couldnt care less about carers.

GrannyRose15

Talk of it being made compulsory for any group makes me very uneasy. What would be much better would be if someone tried to find out why professional carers have had such a low take-up so far. Bet the results would be revealing.

The take up for care home staff is about 75% overall which is being sold as low but really we should say lower than rather than low. But I agree that more info is needed on the reasons behind the hesitancy. We have to avoid ( I mean in general not GN) getting into a moral panic about this and getting everyone in a lather. I think some people should remember that a year ago we had care workers wearing bin bags and now some people want them summarily dismissed.
Let’s get some more evidence of the problem and tread carefully weighing up the fundamental issues involved. We need some calm wise heads not political posturing.

What do you mean by professional careers? You mean nursing home staff etc?

What I certainly can't understand though is anyone who says they are against compulsory vaccination, but oh, it's OK in some circumstances.

If you are against compulsory vaccination you should be against compulsory vaccinations in ALL circumstances - end of.

along with some wacky websites.

i think it is broadly to do with racism, historically, and lack of trust in govt/ the establishment.

Talk of it being made compulsory for any group makes me very uneasy. What would be much better would be if someone tried to find out why professional carers have had such a low take-up so far. Bet the results would be revealing.

No, I don’t think vaccines should be mandatory. The number of people who are choosing to not be vaccinated is worrying though.

The Telegraph is reporting tonight on provisional plans to start vaccinating children from August.

Oops, wrong thread, mods please remove!

I think I did once try to be one-up about having a more ancient kitchen than any other GNer, but someone beat me, dammit.

suziewoozie

If we apply this to care home staff, then in all fairness it has to be all health care staff as well.

I know of frontline nursing staff on Covid wards who have refused both vaccines.

MaizieD

I would be firmly against mandatory vaccination. It's a thin end of a wedge and I don't care for wedges. Perfectly happy for it to be made a condition of employment in some jobs, though.

As an aside, GG13, I think it might be easier to staff care homes if the pay and conditions were better.

Totally agree regarding pay and conditions, the majority of the care homes in our area are privately owned/run. I realise they have to be profitable however, if you pay staff well, along with good working conditions the staff turnover/absence will decrease.

Happier staff, happier residents within a safe caring environment.

If we apply this to care home staff, then in all fairness it has to be all health care staff as well.

The retainment in staff in the care sector is far more complex than being forced to have vaccines

Thanks Hetty58 and AGAA4 I hadn't thought of that.

Yes I do agree that mandatory is not the way to go unless specific employment, but I think the moral aspect can be pushed much more.

I would be firmly against mandatory vaccination. It's a thin end of a wedge and I don't care for wedges. Perfectly happy for it to be made a condition of employment in some jobs, though.

As an aside, GG13, I think it might be easier to staff care homes if the pay and conditions were better.

And I assume that people would be happy for people to be refused a care home place if they did not want to be vaccinated.

sodapop

Workers in residential care homes already need Hep B and tetanus vaccinations so I don't see why this is different. This may lead to staffing shortages in the short term in an already understaffed and underfunded area.

It’s different requiring something after employment rather than before- completely different.

I understand all the issues about conflicting rights and responsibilities - I think I’m just saying we should as a society think carefully about the consequences of any move like this on people already in employment. That’s all.

If it means that people choosing not to have the jab prevents us coming out of lockdown, and the jab being able to more easily mutate, then I think there may be a moral argument for everyone to be vaccinated.

Workers in residential care homes already need Hep B and tetanus vaccinations so I don't see why this is different. This may lead to staffing shortages in the short term in an already understaffed and underfunded area.