The Greater Manchester mayor has branded the mandatory vaccination policy, which sees all NHS staff required to get the Covid-19 vaccine, as 'heavy handed'.
Andy Burnham's comments come as the deadline approaches for staff to have had their first dose, before being fully vaccinated against the virus by April.
However, in Greater Manchester, new figures shared by the mayor show that Covid-19 patient numbers, and the region's rates of infection, could be levelling out.
READ MORE:
The NHS faces losing a number of staff members as the a policy comes into force, dictating that health workers must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by April – meaning staff will need to have their first dose of a jab by February 3 or be dismissed.
The mandate has prompted fears that there will be an exodus of much-needed medics, as the health system is already working through unprecedented staffing pressures.
In Greater Manchester, the Omicron wave has led to some 15 per cent of the NHS workforce being off ill or in isolation due to coronavirus.
The care sector, too, has faced similar pressures, as outbreaks in care homes and minimal staffing have seen sites close their doors to new residents.
Nationally, this spread of Covid-19 has led to thousands of staff not being able to work.
'There is a significant decrease in all boroughs of Greater Manchester' in coronavirus case rates, according to the latest figures shared by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Although, due to increased reliance on lateral flow testing, these figures are probably 'under-reporting' the level of infection out there, said the mayor.
There is also the 'beginning' of a rise among children due to the impact of the return of schools. The return of students will also need to be factored in, he said.
In care homes, 8.5 per cent of residents now have Covid or suspected Covid, although that is not believed to be leading to serious illness.
The picture in hospitals is 'encouraging', the mayor continued, with a fall in weekly admission for patients whose primary diagnosis is Covid-19.
The number of people in hospital beds with the virus has declined from from 1268 in beds to 1223, but the mayor stressed numbers are still 'not that far off' where they got to in 2020.
The mayor has said it is difficult to put a figure on the number of staff the NHS might lose to the mandatory vaccine policy. In social care, the 'higher number' did come down and ended up in a 'low single figure percentage' in terms of those made redundant or sacked, he says.
Unions say there is a higher number of staff in the NHS expressing misgivings, between five and 10 per cent 'where concerns are being expressed' in Greater Manchester.
The policy is now entering a critical phase, meaning people will have to decide whether to get jabbed or not.
On vaccinations, 55 per cent of adults in GM have had all three jabs, as the mayor reminded residents that 'it's not all over'.
"A concern that was discussed at the committee today was mandatory vaccination of NHS staff," Burnham told a press conference today, January 18.
"It is a concern that has been brought to us by trade union colleagues, who are reporting that there is some difficulty with this issue among the workforce - and a proportion of people who say they won't come forward.
"The February 1 deadline is looming and for those who do not take up the vaccine, as we understand it, it's not a case of redundancy, it's termination of contract. It's a serious situation, particularly with the ongoing pressure on the NHS.
"I, personally, would prefer a position where people are strongly encouraged rather than mandated. There's an argument to be had about that.
"But I would say to the government that they do need to keep an eye on this issue, and ensure that we are not seeing the loss of significant numbers of NHS staff as that deadline gets closer."
"It's a difficult situation and I know there will be many people who support what the government has tried to do here," he added.
"Already, NHS staff are required to have a number of vaccinations before they start work - hepatitis and MMR. It is already part of standard practice.
"You might say, it's the context in which this particular requirement is being introduced and the way it's being done. It is fairly heavy handed to say it's a termination. It's causing some concern among trade union colleagues.
"If we get to a point where we're a couple of weeks away from the implementation of this and there are significant numbers of staff who are not doing it, what then?
"I personally don't want to see the termination of NHS staff contracts at this particular time.
"It's simply to raise the concern, this is a challenging situation for the NHS. The intention here is to get people vaccinated, but to support the workforce and relieve pressure on the system.
"The question is, is this policy going to achieve what it wants to achieve or could it cause a problem in a different part of the NHS.
"That does need to be kept under review."
