Virus Ambulance staff not allowed jab on shift
FRONTLINE ambulance staff in the Bristol area are now able to get the coronavirus vaccine – but only on their own time.
The roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine has continued over the past few weeks, with many healthcare and NHS workers having already received their first dose at Southmead Hospital.
Ambulance workers at South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust in the Bristol area have been able to book slots for the past week or so, but will not be given time off to be vaccinated during their shifts.
However, coronavirus guidance from the Trades Union Congress, a federation of unions, advises: “Staff should be given paid time off to get vaccinated.”
An email, seen by the Post, was circulated by the trust to staff last week confirming that vaccine slots would be made available.
It stated: “Currently there are very limited slots per day, with the first available appointments this week. The appointments are available to SWAST frontline staff up to 24th December 2020 with more due to be made available soon.
“Please note you will need to book this appointment on a rest day due to the 15-minute observation requirements, as well as the appointment times needing to run to exact schedules.”
Patients given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are observed for a quarter of an hour after the injection to ensure they do not have any adverse reactions.
This requirement, paired with the uncertain nature of when and where ambulance personnel will be needed, means that booking appointments during time is not ideal.
A Unison representative acknowledged that it’s “not possible to go and have a vaccine in works time when working on an ambulance”.
A spokesperson for the ambulance trust said: “We have been working with NHS partner organisations across the South West to ensure our people are able to access coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination clinics.
“More than 170 of our frontline staff, who have face-to-face contact with patients and are from groups who are at higher risk from coronavirus, have already received the vaccine, with robust plans in place for more staff to receive it in the new year.
“Given the challenges of delivering the vaccine, it is important that staff are able to arrive promptly for their appointment.
“We are therefore advising staff to attend a clinic on a day when they are not completing a frontline ambulance shift, as the very nature of emergency work could prevent guaranteed attendance at a clinical appointment time.” shift
Please note you will need to book this appointment on a rest day due to the 15-minute observation requirements, as well as the appointment times needing to run to exact schedules Email sent to trust staff