Covid-19 Update

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The MP questioned whether the Minister will extend flu vaccinations as mandatory for NHS staff following his decision to implement mandatory covid-19 vaccinations. She noted that it is a matter of public health and raised concern about inconsistent policy-making.

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The MP inquired about support mechanisms and resources provided to trusts experiencing significant pressure from staff opting out due to the mandatory vaccination policy. He highlighted challenges in workforce planning and management.

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The MP sought clarification on how the Minister intends to monitor compliance with the mandatory vaccination requirement and what steps he would take against non-compliance. He also asked about the role of CQC in ensuring adherence.

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The MP asked about how the Government plans to support vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, who might be hesitant about vaccination due to misinformation or lack of clear guidance. She highlighted concerns over low vaccination rates among this demographic.

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Asked the Minister to proceed cautiously, citing NHS staffing issues and requested meetings with health bodies like the BMA. Inquired about the number of unvaccinated staff and success criteria for the vaccination programme.

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Congratulated the Secretary of State on the decision, noting it as a patient-safety measure. Inquired about future plans regarding flu vaccine mandates for NHS staff.

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Asked about monitoring potential skills shortages in different parts of the health service due to the new policy.

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I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s decision and the cross-party consensus behind it. Medicine is based on science and the vaccine is the best of science, and we should use all the science and tools at our disposal to keep people safe. That is the justification for this policy. I support the extension of the decision in due course to flu. May I invite my right hon. Friend to join me in saying that, given that there is cross-party consensus and that the announcement has now been made, this is clearly going to happen; and that all those working in the NHS, including those who have so far been hesitant, should therefore come forward as soon as possible to get the vaccines? They are going to have to get them, so better to get them sooner rather than later.

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I welcome the Secretary of State’s announcement, but if this is about minimising transmission, surely it follows that we should be reviewing the guidance on facial protection and FFP3 masks. Will he be following the recommendations of the royal colleges and trade unions that frontline staff in care homes and the NHS should be issued with FFP3 masks?

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It is obvious that the booster jab is essential to protect the very vulnerable. I have an elderly family member who is 90 years old and completely bedbound. He lives at home, and cannot get out of the flat and down the steps, and he has been waiting for weeks for his booster jab. He said to me on Sunday, “Where is my booster jab?”. I suspect that across the country it is quite inconvenient to get out to very elderly people who are living at home—not in care homes, but in their own home. These people are being looked after all day by care workers, coming in and out. Will the Secretary of State now give an instruction to health authorities, GPs and district nurses to get out and get the booster jabs into these very old and vulnerable people?

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I thank the Secretary of State for setting out his thinking today. The Government said in the Budget that they planned to invest responsibly. Does he believe that it was responsible to cancel a multimillion-pound contract to supply a covid vaccine that phase 3 trials show may be more effective than the Oxford vaccine, threatening hundreds of jobs in Livingston for no apparent good reason? Will he consider rethinking that unfortunate decision?

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I welcome what the Secretary of State has said about his proposed method of dealing with this issue in Parliament, and his confirmation that he is going to publish an impact assessment ahead of the decision. That, of course, was not what happened when we voted on the care home vaccination issue, for which, to be fair to him, he was not responsible; the way in which that decision was conducted was an abuse of this House, which was asked to vote on it. The Secretary of State has just confirmed that of the 40,000 care home staff who the Government estimated were going to leave the care home sector because they had not been vaccinated, 32,000 of them—two days away from the deadline—remain unvaccinated. That is a significant number. When he publishes all the information before we make a decision, will he ensure that as well as the impact assessment he includes a plan to deal with what sounds like it will be something like tens of thousands of NHS staff, who, if the care home workforce are any precedent, are going to end up leaving the national health service? It may be the right decision, but we must have a plan to deal with it. Not having had a plan for the care home sector is causing enormous pressure not just on the care home sector, but on the NHS.

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A number of care home owners have said that the damage has already started to be done, and that some of their carers are leaving either their jobs or the sector entirely. I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement that an impact assessment will be forthcoming, and look forward to seeing the impact statement later today. In response to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Tony Lloyd), the Secretary of State also mentioned that the Department is monitoring the issue on a “day-by-day basis”. I worry that an impact statement might be too late if we have to wait two or three months for a vote. Will he commit to publishing the data that he is looking at day by day, so that Members of the House can see in real time whether the policy is going to have an impact on the workforce situation in the NHS and care homes?

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Although I want everybody to be vaccinated, I do not support mandatory medical interventions, and I worry about the impact on the already high vacancy rate in the workforce. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State must have done some risk assessments, so can he tell me this? As previously asked, how many of the 10% who are un-jabbed does he assess will be subject to medical exemptions? What calculations has he made of the likely job losses overall? When will he publish a list of exactly what personnel are involved? Will it involve cleaners, for example, who do not have medical engagement with patients but are certainly in proximity to them? When will he publish the evidence and the data on the number of patients who have been infected with covid by unvaccinated staff while in hospital?

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Of course NHS and care staff should all be vaccinated—that is what we expect for our loved ones—and of course they should all be wearing masks. The Prime Minister parading around a hospital yesterday without a mask was a disgrace, and I hope that the Health Secretary is talking to him about that. I support the questions that other hon. Members have asked about more detail in the impact assessments, because I want to know whether those 10% of un-jabbed staff are in Bristol, or whether the figure in Bristol is 20%, 30% or 2%. If the Health Secretary knows that information, I, as a Member of Parliament for Bristol, should also know it. If all staff and associated people in healthcare settings are to be vaccinated, will there be a covid passport for people to visit hospital and care settings?

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Asked about the risk assessment of transmission from healthy to vulnerable individuals and requested a reassessment on flu measures. He also questioned why April 1st was chosen as the deadline for vaccination.

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Criticised lack of government response based on public health expert advice, calling for increased measures such as moving contact tracing into local authorities and restoring public health measures like 'hands, face, space'.

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Asked about availability and accessibility of molnupiravir for treating covid-19, particularly for vulnerable groups like diabetics and immunosuppressed individuals.

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Discussed missed cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, highlighting the need for targeted resources and leadership to catch up on lost diagnostic services. Requested a meeting with clinicians and those involved in the 'Catch Up With Cancer' campaign.