Care home staff told no work without vaccine
Workers expected to have had first Covid jab by April 23
‘We take responsibility for the care of our residents seriously’
A care home has told staff they must get a Covid jab or face not being allowed to work. Barchester Healthcare, which has seven homes in the county, updated workers about the new policy after a “strong uptake” in the vaccine.
Staff not yet inoculated will be expected to have their first jab before April 23 or “make themselves unavailable for work” if they refused, the company said. The company runs seven homes in Kent – including Sutton Valence Care Home near Maidstone and Emily Jackson House in Sevenoaks. A Barchester spokesman said: “Following staff engagement and a full risk assessment, we have introduced a new policy in which we expect all staff to have had the vaccine by April 23, 2021. “We are prepared to delay that date if there is any data regarding safety, efficacy or effect on transmission which requires further review.
“We have set out a number of acceptable exemptions, including, at this stage, pregnancy, and exempted staff will operate with enhanced PPE.
“It is important also to say that we fully respect the decisions that individuals make and if someone chooses not to accept the vaccine we respect that decision.
“However, we take our responsibility for the care of our residents and patients very seriously and believe this is the approach to give them the utmost protection.”
About 92% of residents and 90% of staff have received their first jabs so far.
The remaining people yet to receive a dose is because they are waiting to be Covid negative for 28 days, the company added. It also pledged that new residents yet to receive a vaccine would have a jab, or be willing to have one, before moving in. In December, the World Health Organisation said vaccination should be encouraged, but not made mandatory and, so far, the government has maintained it will not be compulsory.