Fórsa adds support to vaccine push
by Hazel Gavigan
 
 Fórsa official Chris Cully is currently meeting HSE officials each week to represent members’ views on the vaccine programme.
Fórsa official Chris Cully is currently meeting HSE officials each week to represent members’ views on the vaccine programme.

The HSE has agreed to recruit a significant number of administrative staff to assist in the roll-out of vaccinations to the public. The move came after Fórsa proposed setting aside normal recruitment procedures to ensure that enough staff are in place to quickly address the challenge of mass vaccination.

 

The union says a significant block of staff will be needed to support the mass roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations to the public. Once all frontline healthcare workers, as well as those living and working in long-term healthcare facilities are vaccinated, the next phase of the vaccine roll-out can begin. This is expected to commence in early March 2021.

 

The HSE plans is to establish ten mass-vaccination sites around the country for the general public. These will operate 10 hours a day, seven days a week, administering 350,000 vaccines per week. Locations for the vaccination centres are currently being identified and considered by the HSE for suitability.

 

A final list of mass vaccination centre locations will be provided to the union when the HSE has concluded its work on it. Intermediate centres will also be established for non-urban locations with smaller populations.

 

Fórsa official, Chris Cully meets with the HSE every week for updates, to represent members’ voices and ensure a smooth implementation of the programme.

“It is anticipated that approximately 2,000 staff will be required to staff these centres, with 1,000 of them administering the vaccines. The remaining 1,000 staff will be deployed to carry out other important functions at the centres, such as registration, scheduling, IT support, portering, security and traffic management,” she said.

 

Chris added that the HSE’s workforce plan was at an advanced stage of development, and unions expect to see it by end of next week.

 

“Some workers may need to be redeployed into vaccination centres, but this will not be done without consultation. Others may have to be specifically recruited to meet the high numbers required in such a short timeframe.

 

“In a push to try maximise resources available, volunteers will be sought to set aside part-time patterns. We are also encouraging retired members of staff to get involved in the roll-out,” Chris said.

 

Fórsa’s head of health, Éamonn Donnelly explained that the usual recruitment process would not suffice in this instance, due to the size of the task at hand.

 

“The large scale roll-out could not be implemented by existing resources as, unlike in March 2020, health services in the community sector, such as primary care remain in place. The incoming block of staff needs to be in situ and task-ready as the supply chain of the vaccine speeds up, and we may have to consider a change in normal recruitment practise in this instance,” he said.

 

Once the mass-vaccination programme is in place, it is anticipated that one million vaccines could be administered each month. Each person will require two doses to be protected.

 

In addition to this, once Ireland receives vaccinations that don’t need to be refrigerated in special conditions, GP offices and pharmacies can also aid with administration.

 

Fórsa is engaging in ongoing consultation with the HSE on the roll-out of vaccinations and members will be updated accordingly. If you do not receive emails from Fórsa, please ensure we have your correct information by updating your contact details here. 

 

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