Addenbrooke’s health bosses hope staff ‘do right thing’ and get vaccinated

NHS bosses who run Addenbrooke’s Hospital hope staff will “do the right thing” and get vaccinated against covid.

On Tuesday, the Government announced it would be making it mandatory for frontline health and social workers to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus unless they are exempt.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that the majority of NHS staff are already vaccinated, adding that by introducing the measure to “ensure the maximum number of NHS staff are vaccinated”, it will help give the “greatest possible” protection to vulnerable patients.

Frontline staff will have until the beginning of April next year to receive both jabs.

At Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s board of directors’ meeting, officials said they hoped staff will voluntarily take up the offer of the vaccine.

According to report documents presented at the meeting, as of October 19, 94 percent of the Trust’s frontline staff have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with 92 percent having received their second dose.

David Wherrett, the Director of Workforce, said: “We very much hope that all of our staff, who have no medical reason not to, will take up the vaccination programme for flu and Covid-19.

He explained that where there are issues the Trust will aim to approach the matter in a “respectful and considerate” way.

Mr Wherrett said there is a “vulnerability” where staff choose to no longer work for the NHS, but stressed that the hope is that staff will “do the right thing” and make a “voluntary decision to take up vaccination”.