Will frontline NHS staff in Scotland have to be fully vaccinated against Covid to keep their jobs?
The UK Government announced today that it will be compulsory for NHS staff in England to be fully vaccinated against Covid.
A deadline of April next year will be given for unvaccinated staff south of the border to get both jags. It follows a deadline this week for all care home workers in England to be vaccinated.
But what does the news mean for NHS staff in Scotland?
The announcement has led to speculation about whether or not the Scottish Government will follow suit and insist all frontline NHS staff here have two doses of the Covid vaccine.
It’s up to each of the four nations to take their own call on the issue.
What’s the current situation here?
At the moment, there are different rules for healthcare workers in Scotland.
You can find the details in our explainer here.
What are the Government’s plans?
We asked the Scottish Government if they plan an announcement on this issue.
A spokesperson says: “There are currently no plans to introduce mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for NHS and care staff in Scotland.
“Uptake rates are incredibly high amongst NHS and care staff in Scotland and we are deeply grateful for their efforts during the pandemic.”
What are vaccination rates like?
Numbers on how many people have had both doses of the Covid vaccine are available publicly and are updated on a weekly basis.
- 94% of NHS staff have had two doses.
- 87.2% of frontline social care workers have had two doses.
In addition, NHS Tayside and NHS Fife areas both record over 87% of those aged 18 and over have had two doses.
We’ve put together a collection of daily updated charts to track the coronavirus crisis in Scotland.
It includes daily new cases and the vaccination status of acute hospital admissions.