The pay and permanent jobs of redeployed staff will “remain protected”.
Unvaccinated frontline NHS staff at Southampton General Hospital (SGH) are to be redeployed.
In a letter to staff seen by the BBC frontline healthcare workers at SGH have been told that unvaccinated staff would be redeployed to work in non-patient-facing roles.
In a statement, the trust said that throughout the pandemic the safety of staff and patients was “at the heart of our decision-making”.
The trust claims the move is part of its commitment to do all it could to “protect staff, patients and the broader capacity of our workforce to support our services”.
A massive 94% of staff at the trust have been vaccinated since the trust began its vaccination programme in December.
The trust also says the pay and permanent jobs of redeployed staff would “remain protected”.
Other NHS hospitals are widely expected to follow suit in the coming months.
Not an effective approach.
The news comes following a warning from UNISON that a “no jab, no job” rule is causing an ‘exodus’ of care staff.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has previously said it does not support a mandated vaccination for staff.
In a position statement, it explains; “We consider this to be best practice and it is enshrined within the NMC code as the right thing to do for professional practice for all registered nurses.
“There are however, serious concerns around mandating vaccines. Like the wider population, health and care staff are a diverse group and there are both physical and societal barriers for some on the take up for the vaccine.
“The RCN do not support staff being made or coerced into having the vaccine.
“Staff vaccination should not be used as part of staff contracts, it should not be a condition of employment or part of employment contracts, linked to terms and conditions of employment or to pay.
“The RCN do not believe that this approach is effective in improving uptake of vaccination in staff.”
