Union wins fight to get COVID-19 jag for Falkirk NHS 24 staff

Unite Scotland welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to place NHS 24 staff from Falkirk and the rest of the country on the COVID-19 vaccination programme as a matter of priority.

By James Trimble
Thursday, 4th February 2021, 8:54 am

Following a call with Scottish Government officials yesterday, it was confirmed that around 1650 workers employed at NHS24 will now be prioritised for the vaccination programme.

This follows a campaign from Unite which resulted in around 500 Scottish Ambulance Service control room workers being made a priority last month.

Both NHS24 and SAS control staff were initially informed by the Scottish Government that they were not "patient facing”’ and did not qualify for the immediate prioritisation of the vaccination programme.

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Unite the union welcomed the Scottish Government's decision to place NHS 24 workers on the COVID-19 vaccination scheme as a matter of priority

Pat Rafferty, Unite Scottish secretary, said: “Without these workers the nation doesn’t have an effective emergency response service. This is a massive relief for the workers at NHS24 and we continue to applaud the dedicated service they provide during these challenging times.”