Lack of staff is greater risk to care homes than virus

CARE home residents are at greater risk from staff shortages than Covid, an industry leader has claimed ahead of the looming deadline.

Tomorrow, all carers who have not received their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine – and who are not deemed medically exempt – will no longer legally be allowed to continue working.

Yesterday, The Daily Telegraph reported that care home bosses are begging the Government for an “11th-hour reprieve” to delay mandatory Covid vaccines, amid fears that managers will be forced to sack 60,000 staff this week.

However, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has refused to delay the deadline for mandatory vaccination of care home staff. In contrast, a mandatory vaccination policy for NHS staff will come into force in April 2022.

Now Jeremy Richardson, CEO of Four Seasons Health Care, which represents around 8,000 residents and is one of the largest providers in the country, has reiterated the pleas for a delay, insisting that staffing shortages present a greater risk to residents than Covid.

He said: “The risk Covid presents to my residents is now dramatically lower than not having enough staff to care for them … The facts have changed so the policy should change. Mandating the jab is just pouring petrol on an already burning fire and fanning the flames,” he added.

Mr Richardson also said that since March, out of 2,060 deaths, just 26 were from Covid. This means that in the last seven to eight months, about 1 per cent of his residents’ deaths were Covidrelated. “We need to look at the risks presented in context, and with proportionality,” he said. “The greater risk is a lack of people being able to care for residents. I have had to turn down 60 beds in the last two weeks. People are blocking beds in hospitals because I don’t have enough people to care for them safely.

“Why is the NHS at capacity? It’s because beds are blocked, because they can’t discharge anyone, because there’s not enough staff to care for them.” The DHSC was contacted for comment.