The College of Podiatry statement on vaccinations for all health and social care workers

One of the biggest issues members have been raising with the College in recent weeks is the vaccination programme and how podiatrists can assist the national effort to roll out the vaccination as quickly and safely as possible.

The College was therefore delighted to be asked to support a joint campaign launched by Frances O’Grady of the TUC, with Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, to mobilise Britain’s workers in support of the vaccination programme, called Let’s Vaccinate Britain.

We agreed to join the campaign because we feel strongly that getting everyone vaccinated is how we end the pandemic and start the recovery – and the only way for other trade union members to know workplaces are safe.

The campaign is urging trade unionists to get vaccinated when their local immunisation teams approach them to receive it and for them in turn to help support the campaign for as many members of the public to be vaccinated as possible. This along with the range of other measures in place, will help us beat COVID-19 and save lives.

Therefore the College of Podiatry is happy to see that NHS England has published Operational guidance on the vaccination of frontline health and social care workers. The guidance gives frontline health and social care workers the right to the vaccine regardless of where they work - be it in an acute or community setting, in a care home or a mortuary, whether full-time employee or bank or locum staff, and whether they are employed by the NHS or work in the independent sector. Whilst this guidance only applies to England, we would urge the devolved administrations to take similar steps to prioritise front line health and social care workers to have the vaccine and help to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

Both the NHS and the independent sectors have come together to provide patient care of the highest possible standard during extraordinary times. Our members, along with other health and social care professions, put themselves at risk everyday providing essential face-to-face services to save limbs and lives. We have been inundated with reports from our independent sector members that they have no way of registering as frontline staff. We applaud those vaccination teams who have put registration options in place for all sectors and we encourage all the vaccination programmes across the four nations to follow suit.

Steve Jamieson
Chief Executive and General Secretary 
The College of Podiatry