12. Flu jabs for all?
Suffolk Branch
(R) That this meeting of RCN Congress asks Council to lobby for all nursing staff and students to be required to have an annual flu vaccination and for it to be provided free of charge
Result
The resolution was not passed.
For: 40 (9.39%)
Against: 386 (90.61%)
Abstain: 42
Debate report
Congress voted overwhelmingly against this resolution, proposed by Tracey Risebrow of RCN Suffolk branch.
Tracey urged Congress to vote in favour of all nursing staff receiving an annual flu vaccination. She said: “It is not only to protect ourselves and families, it is to protect our patients.”
She asked why it was that only some vaccinations are made compulsory by employers. “It seems we can’t kill our patients with chicken pox and measles, but we can with flu,” she added, and questioned whether the low uptake of nursing staff having vaccinations was due to lack of access or total apathy.
Seconder Geoff Thompson of the RCN Lancashire West branch agreed that being vaccinated is part of the “duty of care” of nursing staff.
But Linda Bailey said there are currently no vaccines that are compulsory, and despite being in favour of the vaccination she didn’t agree it should be required. She then suggested rewording the resolution as it was currently quite confusing having two strands to it: it being required, and it being free.
Helen Williams of the UK Safety Representatives’ Committee said that she couldn’t support this resolution and that the flu vaccine should be available for those that want it. “It’s about making an informed decision,” she said, while Suzanne Leitch, Herefordshire branch, said that people should have freedom of choice.
A procedural item card was raised by Linda Bailey and seconded by Phil Schneider of the UK Safety Representatives’ Committee. She proposed the item be sent to Council to reconsider the wording but members rejected referring it to Council and instead voted on the resolution.
Background
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is an independent expert advisory committee that advises all UK health departments on vaccination and immunisation programmes. This advice is issued via UK-wide guidance on immunisation against infectious diseases, known as the Green Book (Department of Health, 2006).
The Green Book recommends annual influenza immunisation for health and social care staff directly involved in the care of patients or clients. The definition of staff involved in direct patient care includes students and trainees in health care disciplines, and volunteers. Immunisation for this group is recommended to reduce the transmission of influenza within health and social care premises. This is in order to protect vulnerable patients who may have a suboptimal response to their own immunisations; to prevent influenza in staff, and to avoid disruption to services.
Under current health and safety legislation, employers have a duty to protect those at work and others (such as visitors, patients and students) that may be affected by their work activity. Employers need to be able to demonstrate they have an effective employee immunisation programme in place, and they have an obligation to arrange and pay for this service.
In November 2011 the Nursing Times (Ford, 2011) reported that one-in-four student nurses are being prevented from getting vaccinated against seasonal flu because both NHS organisations and GPs are refusing them the immunisation.
At a recent House of Lords question time, Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, made it clear that NHS organisations had the responsibility to ensure vaccinations were given to students going onto work placements. While some occupational health services within universities offer free immunisation to nursing students, this practice varies from institution to institution.
The UK’s devolved health bodies and individual organisations have implemented various initiatives and targets to increase vaccination amongst health care workers, and the RCN has supported the work of health departments to improve the uptake of immunisation in health care workers.
References and further reading
Department of Health (2006) Immunisation against infectious disease – ‘The Green Book’, London: DoH. Available at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079917
(accessed 1/3/12).
Ford, S. (2011) Students refused flu vaccination, Nursing Times, 107 (44), 8 November, p. 2.
Royal College of Nursing (2011) Members urged to have flu jab, RCN Bulletin, Issue 282, 21 September, p.2. Available at:
http://www.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/405355/RCNBulletin282_archive.pdf (accessed 5/3/12).
