row brewing here in scotland. frontline critical workers who work daily with patients in their homes and in clinics such as gp's, cpns, paramedics etc are to be prioritised for the jab. s/w's working with exactly the same client group are not to be getting the jab as they are not regarded as frontline critical workers.
i love watching a good row.
Last year, we had an interesting situation in our CMHT where those employed by the NHS (everyone except social workers) were offered flu jabs but because the social workers were seconded and employed by the local authority, we didn't get them! I wasn't overly bothered last year to be honest. I have the jabs if they're offered but being generally fit and healthy, I don't go out of my way if they're not. It just makes no logical sense but of course, it isn't about logical sense, it's about policies pursued by occupational health.
apparently it's something to do with 'critical' workers or some such phrase. along the lines of if loads of people go off sick or take time off to look after kids/elderly relatives we still need dr's, nurse's, paramedics etc. basically cmht's, health centres, care homes, a+e etc cannot function without the above disciplines but can function without s/w's.
thats the jist of it.
For us it is solely about occupational health and funding. After all, I am in a CMHT! and considering that they are already looking at making adjustments to the Mental Health Act in the case of an outbreak of swine flu that includes dropping the requisite doctors needed to recommend a detention from two to one and approving recently retired ASWs as AMHPs - you'd think they would be a need, at least, for AMHPs to be vaccinated.
Personally, I had a bout of swine 'flu over the summer so am pretty confident I've built up an immunity but it doesn't make sense to discriminate within a CMHT - especially if there are worries about a shortage of AMHPs.
i think mho's in scotland are not being vaccinated as medics can still detain even if an mho is not available. i mean that in terms of mho's being critical or non-critical, it's not critical that an mho is available when jimmy with a bi-polar illness is going mad in sauchihall street and battering police, gp's and paramedics. the gp just detains him.