Javid Doubles Down on Healthcare Vaxx Mandates, as NHS Jabs for Jobs Could See 73,000 Quitting

Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid speaks during a press conference inside the Downing
TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Victoria Friedman

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said it was “absolutely the right decision” for unvaccinated carers to be forced out of their jobs, after the minister announced a similar vaccine mandate for the NHS that could see 73,000 people resigning.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that National Health Services (NHS) workers in England will have to be fully vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus by the beginning of April, 2022, or potentially lose their jobs. The measures will likely be voted on in the House of Commons in the New Year.

The announcement came just two days before the final deadline for workers in English Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered residential care and nursing homes to be fully vaccinated. The decision to do likewise in the NHS this week followed a consultation on whether the Covid-19 and influenza vaccines should be mandatory for health service medics. The flu jab, however, will not be mandatory, but the option remains “under review”.

Mr Javid said on Wednesday according to the BBC that some 93 per cent of the more than one million frontline NHS staff have had the first dose of the vaccine with 90 per cent being fully vaccinated, but around 103,000 are still completely unvaccinated.

Those will medical exemptions will not be forced to be vaccinated as well as those who do not have face-to-face daily contact with patients. The Telegraph says that the mandate will also apply to support staff who, while may not be involved in delivering healthcare to patients, nevertheless have daily contact with them, including hospital porters and receptionists.

However, official estimates published by The Times project that the vaccination mandate for NHS staff could see 73,000 employees leave such frontline positions.

The number of unvaccinated care home staff has more than halved from 88,000 to 32,000 — but that still leaves tens of thousands whose jobs are at risk from Thursday.

Javid defended his government’s vaccine mandates, however, claiming it is “all about patient safety”.

“This is all about patient safety,” Mr Javid told BBC Breakfast, continuing: “It’s about doing whatever we can to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society, whether in care homes or in a hospital bed, and making sure we reduce that risk of infection from this horrid virus as much as we possibly can.

“In terms of what might happen in care homes, in terms of, perhaps the people still haven’t been vaccinated and therefore choose to leave, I would like that number to be as low as possible.”

Continuing that he did not know what the final number of dismissed or resigning staff would be, Javid claimed it would be “much lower” than the 32,000 quoted by the CQC, adding: “I don’t want to see anyone have to leave, but if by leaving it means that our care homes are safer for the people who are being cared for, I think that is absolutely the right decision.”

Javid’s remarks are considerably more toned down than when he bluntly addressed carers during a BBC interview last month: “If you can’t be bothered to go and get vaccinated, then get out and go and get another job.”

While the rhetoric has softened, the deadline has not, with carers still expected to be vaccinated by Thursday.

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