Nine in 10 nurses given first vaccine dose but survey highlights gaps in rollout

‘Concerning’ disparity between NHS and other nurses, says Royal College of Nursing

Nurse Eleanor Pinkerton prepares a coronavirus vaccine to be given to a health and care staff member at the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital in Glasgow (PA)

More than nine in 10 nurses have received a first Covid-19 vaccine, according to a survey.

A Royal College of Nursing (RCN) questionnaire found 94 per cent of respondents said they'd had a jab, with nearly two thirds (62 per cent) receiving a second dose.

According to the RCN, there remains a "concerning" disparity between NHS staff and non-NHS staff working in the community, care homes and in people's own homes.

Nearly half (46 per cent) of nursing staff outside of the NHS, including those in social care and community services, are waiting for their second vaccine dose.

This compared to just under 24 per cent of those working in the NHS, according to the RCN survey, which received over 20,000 responses.

Around one in 50 respondents overall reported having not yet been offered a vaccine, with the group including nursing staff who work in hospitals, care homes and in the community.

Agency staff were still more likely to not have been offered a vaccine compared to permanent staff - 5.6 per cent of agency nursing professionals have not been offered a vaccine, compared with only 1.3 per cent of permanent staff.

Jude Diggins, RCN director of nursing, policy and public affairs, said: “Nursing staff have been instrumental in the vaccine programme and they have overwhelmingly received their first doses too.

“The gap between NHS and non-NHS staff having their first dose has closed but there remains more work to be done to ensure all nursing staff, whatever setting they work in, are given the protection they need."

She added: "Every effort must be made to prevent nursing staff from slipping through the net. Their safety has to be the government’s top concern and that cannot be compromised.”

Across the UK more broadly, 31,807,124 people had received a first vaccine dose by 7 April, with 6,091,905 getting a second dose.

The pace of the vaccine rollout has slowed somewhat in recent weeks due to supply issues, although ministers insist all adults in the UK will be offered an injection by the end of July.

After a record 752,308 jabs on 20 March, just under 100,000 vaccines were administered on 7 April, official figures show.