Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of NHS staff who have refused a COVID-19 vaccination, and (2) the impact such refusal has made to the spread of COVID-19 in NHS facilities; whether vaccine refusal amounts to gross misconduct; and if so, what steps they are taking to dismiss any such staff.

Information on the number of National Health Service staff who have refused a COVID-19 vaccination is not held centrally. We encourage all National Health Service staff to take up the offer of the vaccine, to help protect themselves and others.

For staff who decline the vaccine, employers should consider how best to ensure those staff members and patients are safe. This could include measures such as making sure the appropriate personal protective equipment is being used, that fit testing has been undertaken on the staff member’s FFP3 mask and that employees are aware of infection control standards and have undertaken appropriate training. Employers follow their own local policies and procedures on staff conduct issues on a case by case basis as they arise.