Compulsory Covid vaccinations could be required for NHS volunteers, according to a new government consultation on mandatory jabs for frontline health workers.
The six-week consultation process will take views on whether vaccine requirements should apply for health and wider social care workers and would mean only those who are fully vaccinated, unless medically exempt, could be deployed.
The Government has said all staff in registered care homes in England must be vaccinated against Covid-19 from Nov 11, unless medically exempt.
The consultation will also seek opinions on whether “other professionals” and “volunteers” should be included in the proposed policy.
“These individuals would work for a regulated service but do not provide personal care or treatment as part of the specific care of an individual,” the document reads.
“This could include a wide variety of staff such as those that prepare and serve meals, those moving patients or clients on trolleys or wheelchairs (porters), or reception and administration staff.”
Examples of volunteer roles across the NHS include administration, in-hospital guides or ward assistants.
During the pandemic more than 500,000 people signed up to volunteer for the NHS to help the vulnerable, which far exceeded an original target of 100,000.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the consultation would focus on the proposals, their scope, and any potential impact mandating vaccines could have on staffing and safety such as reducing staff sickness absence.
It also recognised enforcing mandatory vaccines could result in staff “choosing to leave” their job if they do not want to be vaccinated.
Sara Gorton, the head of health at Unison, said making jabs compulsory for care staff has already “heralded an exodus of staff”.
“The key to convincing hesitant staff is persuasion, not force. Pushing NHS staff to get vaccinated will create resentment, destroy already fragile morale and reduce take-up. Of course, everyone who can should be jabbed, but as with care, compulsion is not the way,” she said.
The UK Home Care Association said around a fifth of home care staff could leave if vaccines become mandatory for remaining social care staff.
“Right now, we are experiencing the most extreme challenges in recruitment and retention in history, at a time of rising demand for home care,” the organisation said.
“We feel it’s very important to balance the mitigated risk of infection with the risk of unavailability of care at home for highly dependent older and disabled people.”
Staff, healthcare providers, stakeholders, patients and their families are being urged to take part in the consultation with a final decision expected this winter.