Unvaccinated health workers to be given shifts in Queensland hospitals

Unvaccinated health workers will be given shifts in Queensland hospitals in a major shift in state government policy.

A review recommending Queensland Health’s vaccine mandate be scrapped has been sent to the government, with the full findings to be made public on Friday.

The Queensland government is set to change its vaccination requirements for health workers.Credit: Dan Peled

Nine News understands the vaccine requirement will be withdrawn.

At the height of the pandemic, thousands of nurses and frontline healthcare workers were stood down after refusing to be vaccinated.

The government announced in July that directive would be reviewed, with the Queensland Nurses Union estimating there were more than 3,000 qualified nurses barred from working.

However, while the directive is set to be removed, it is unclear whether disciplinary action will still be pursued against nurses who refused to comply with the original directive.

There has been a surge in the number of people applying to work in Australia’s health system since the pandemic, but there are still chronic shortages in certain areas and specialties.