RCM urges maternity staff to get COVID vaccination
Take the call. Get the jab. That’s the message for maternity staff in a new, short video from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
The video particularly urges midwives and maternity support workers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to take up the vaccine offer, and to ignore bogus and misleading information about the vaccine circulating on social media and elsewhere.
“We’ve seen colleagues, family and friends struggle with the virus and maternity services and the staff that work in them are not immune from COVID,” says maternity support worker and RCM representative Sarah Richards in the video. The RCM’s Head of Quality and Safety, Zeenath Uddin echoes this, reflecting on her own pandemic experience: “I’ve sadly experienced some personal losses in our family. Black and Asian communities have felt the impact of COVID more than most, including those working in the NHS.”
The RCM is strongly encouraging all its members to get the coronavirus vaccine as the most effective method of protecting themselves, their family, friends and the women and families they care for.
The impact of the pandemic has also been felt by the RCM’s Professional Policy Advisor, Janet Fyle. “This touches me as an individual from the BAME community,” said Janet stressing the importance of listening to the evidence not the hearsay about the vaccine. “You cannot be listening to all the nonsense that people are talking about the vaccine…and we need to take the vaccine.”
There is mistrust around the vaccination resulting from the history and experience of black and Asian communities says Zeenath in the video. However, she added, “Don’t let misinformation put you, your family or the women and families in your care at risk.”
Coralie Richards, a midwife and RCM representative, says that vaccination is a way out of this current crisis, and a light at the end of the tunnel. Finishing the video Coralie outlined the central message of the video, saying, “Get the jab.”
The RCM’s video can be watched at https://www.facebook.com/MidwivesRCM/videos/460860975281368/.
For the RCM’s information and advice on the COVID-19 vaccination and maternity staff see https://www.rcm.org.uk/guidance-for-maternity-staff/.