900 staff at Derby and Burton hospitals refuse coronavirus vaccine
900 staff at hospitals in Derby and Burton have refused their Covid-19 vaccinations, for undisclosed or non-health reasons.
Staff at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust - which oversees the Royal Derby Hospital and Queen's Hospital in Burton - have been prioritised to receive the vaccine since December.
The coronavirus vaccine is not mandatory, but the Trust says it helps keep other employees safe and reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the community, including to unwell patients.
All of the 15,862 staff have been offered the coronavirus vaccine since December. Of these:
832 have not clarified why they have not yet taken up the vaccine
68 have refused for non-health reasons
1,587 staff have not yet had their vaccines - with around half (755) declining jabs for health reasons such as pregnancy or having tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 28 days.
The 755 staff who have given reasons for declining the vaccine, nearly all have said they will get their jabs at a later date.
The trust has confirmed that staff who have declined vaccines are still in work and reiterate that having the coronavirus vaccine is not mandatory.
90% of staff have had Covid-19 vaccines, including 83% of black, Asian and minority ethnic staff - said to be one of the highest uptakes among BAME staff in the region.
Royal Derby Hospital was one of the first locations in the country to start administering Covid-19 to staff and patients on December 8.
Frontline health staff were among the first four groups prioritised for vaccines, alongside care home residents and staff, the clinically extremely vulnerable, and residents aged 70 and above.
The trust started administering second vaccine doses to staff at the start of March.
Staff who have not yet had their first dose are being directed to have theirs administered at alternative sites, not at the trust hospitals.
Mr Boyle added:
"It still isn't too late for our colleagues to book themselves in to receive the vaccine.
"Whilst it isn't mandatory to get the vaccine, we want to keep all of our people safe and help reduce the impact of Covid-19 in our communities, so thank you to everyone who has rolled up a sleeve so far."
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