Confusion over eligibility for the Covid vaccine is causing anger and frustration among nursery workers.
After receiving guidance that they fall under the social care sector last Friday, nurseries in Greater Manchester and across the country told staff to book in using the self-referral system.
And while some managed to get their vaccine at the weekend and earlier this week, others have been turned away and told that nursery staff do not qualify.
The problem seems to have arisen from a list on the government's National Careers Service website, which features nursery managers and workers among the many roles.
It's understood that reports on social media, including one from a Facebook group for nursery owners, wrongly suggested that anyone on that list - including those working in early years - could now get the jab, with nurseries quickly acting on the advice to get staff booked in.
But when some workers turned up to get the vaccine, they were sent home.
With staff already anxious over not being immunised, the fact that some have now had the jab, while others haven't, is only adding to the frustration. And it's left those who did get the vaccine unsure as to whether they will get their second dose.
Nicola Fleury is director of the Salford-based Kidzrus Nursery Ltd chain. She and other staff were vaccinated at various locations over the weekend, with another worker getting it on Monday, showing evidence of her job role at the nursery in the process.
However, another member of staff was turned away 'and told they no longer provide the vaccines to nursery staff'.
She said: "This is hugely disappointing and raises the question what happens to the vaccine if it was previously booked and the appointment generated.
"Staff are now confused as many have appointments due this weekend, some are concerned about the second vaccines due in May, will this go ahead? There seems to be so much uncertainly surrounding nursery staff."
Are you a nursery worker who was told to book the vaccine? Do you think early years staff should be prioritised? Let us know in the comments here, or share your views on the Manchester Family Facebook page.
Responding to the confusion in the sector, The Early Years Alliance has issued a joint statement with the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years and the National Day Nurseries Association, calling for clarity.
It says: "We are aware that a number of early years providers and their staff have been able to book appointments for coronavirus vaccines after the online booking system was opened up to social care workers for self-referral this week. However, we also know that some early years providers have been turned away at centres and from the 119 booking system.
“There has been no change to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)’s position on prioritisation for the vaccine and the roll-out is still progressing through its first phase priority groups. That said, we know that some providers may find that their local authorities have been able to offer vaccines to key workers where local availability allows.
“We continue to make the case for Covid-19 vaccines to be made available to all early years providers across the country, once the most vulnerable have received their vaccine, and are calling for clear and official guidance to avoid any ambiguity on this. Vaccinations for early years providers must be offered on a national basis and providers should not have to contend with a postcode lottery for access to the protection they deserve as they carry out their vital roles.”
Early Years Alliance chief executive Neil Leitch later added: "Throughout the pandemic, the early years workforce has walked an impossible tightrope between doing their utmost to care for and educate young children who cannot socially distance, and protecting themselves, their colleagues and their own, sometimes vulnerable, families. Their readiness to book these appointments, which they did in good faith, is a mark of just how concerned they are for their own and their loved ones’ safety.
"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."
The National Careers Service has clarified that its site is not intended to be used for prioritising staff for vaccines. In a statement, it said: "The National Careers Service allows people to explore career choices and opportunities, broadening their career horizons. The National Careers Service does not serve to present a strict classification of professional groupings and should be not used to prioritise staff for Covid-19 vaccines."
A spokesman for the Department for Health and Social Care confirmed there 'has been no update to the JCVI priority list and nursery workers have not been added'.
He said the vast majority of people working in school and early years settings are not classed as a frontline health or social care worker and to qualify under this criteria they need to be providing face to face care or support to children or adults who are clinically extremely vulnerable to Covid-19.
Salford council says that its early years have been placed on the 'stand-by list should there be vaccine doses to be used towards the end of a day'.
In an email to staff, the city's director of public health Dr Muna Abdel Aziz, said: "If this occurs, early years settings will be communicated with via email; staff will have to book using the link that will be provided and attend a vaccination appointment at short notice."
A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "The National Careers Service does not, and has never, published a list of those eligible under phase 1 of the vaccine rollout. Categorisation of professional groupings displayed on the site should not be used to prioritise staff for Covid-19 vaccines."
