While some early years practitioners managed to book and receive the vaccination this weekend after hearing that the health and social care list of workers had been updated to include them - which is now believed to be incorrect - others were refused an appointment or turned away from clinics.
Early Years Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch, says that reports that early years practitioners are eligible for the vaccine are false.
‘Unfortunately, when self-referral opened to social care workers, many practitioners were incorrectly told they could book, even through official channels such as the 119 helpline or their local council,’ he said.
‘Still more confusing for staff in the sector was that different policies were adopted by local vaccination centres, some of which honoured pre-booked appointments, while others initially administered jabs before later reversing this decision.’
Lyndsey Slessor, manager at Tinies Nursery in York, received the vaccination this weekend. She double checked that she was eligible to receive it as an early years worker and took along a letter from her employer and a recent payslip to the clinic as proof of her profession.
‘I was not only told that I was eligible but that they had vaccinated hundreds of early years staff over the weekend,’ she said. ‘I genuinely checked with the clinic but then received an email from the local authority yesterday saying that we were not eligible.’
She was keen to receive the vaccination after recently being hospitalised with Covid-19. ‘I was so poorly for a fortnight, it scared my team and made them worried about being at work,’ she said. ‘Every early years setting that is open to all should be able to get it.’
Bernadette Braund, nursery manager at Play Station Nursery in Filton, South Gloucestershire, also successfully received the vaccination along with the majority of staff in the nursery group.
‘If they [the Government] are keeping us open and we’re frontline then all teachers and those in nurseries should be priority,’ she said. ‘I had my vaccine on Sunday. I rang 119, told them I was a manager of a nursery and I was told we were entitled to it. All of my staff then booked.
‘I know some people are saying that we should not be getting them but nurseries are having to close because of Covid outbreaks, doing this means that we are more likely to stay open and we are needed to do that to look after frontline workers’ children. We need to protect ourselves.’
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day Nurseries Association, said that the issue had created a ‘real postcode lottery’ over the weekend along with additional distress and worry for frontline workers about when they might be able to get an appointment.
‘We have been told that there has been no change to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s position on prioritisation for the vaccine,’ she said. ‘Due to it being impossible to socially distance from young children and the need for close personal care, we continue to make the case for early years workers to be prioritised in the coming phase of the vaccination programme.
‘We need to see an urgent plan to get early years staff vaccinated across England at the earliest opportunity so that they can continue to support children and families.’
Mr Leitch added, ‘The sector does not need false hope or mixed messages. It deserves a real assurance from this Government that they will be given priority access to the vaccine, at the earliest possible moment, so they can carry out their vital roles without fear.’
