U-turn on NHS staff jabs is unfair to care homes
Government’s move both highlights inequalities in the system and speaks volumes about how social care is perceived
THE FRUSTRATION felt by those working in care homes over the likely U-turn on mandatory Covid vaccines for NHS staff is almost beyond words. Like many care homes, we at The Fed have always subscribed to the fact that the best way to protect the people we care for is vaccination. But we also believe in choice, equality, fairness and partnership.
Initially forgotten, misunderstood and abandoned in March 2020, care homes and the people who live and work in them were treated with contempt and ignorance. Many had to fend for themselves.
Our social care workforce, not trained in infection control and lacking the PPE and equipment, were effectively cast adrift. Many caught the infection in the first wave and some have never recovered.
The physical effects, the mental and emotional trauma of losing so many wonderful residents and the fear of catching the virus has taken its toll.
Our staff have now been wearing masks for over 700 days.
Hope springs eternal though and we began to see recognition that social care is a vital part of our healthcare economy. The NHS commissioners started to recognise that some of the answers to beds being full and hospitals being in crisis could be found in well-resourced community services and care homes.
For too many years, there has been a master and servant relationship between the NHS and councils who commission care and those that deliver care in the community, especially care homes.
Good quality care costs a lot of money but for years providers have had very little uplift in their fees, creating a ticking time-bomb, just waiting for a crisis to set it off.
How much does the NHS pay towards funded nursing care?
Most people would be shocked to learn that on average, nursing homes only receive £1.12p per hour towards the cost of nursing care. At the same time, providers facing staffing shortages are having to pay agency nursing rates of £35 per hour. It’s a travesty.
The anger about the U-turn on vaccinations is really about the unfairness of a system that can treat one of its most valuable and precious components so badly. Forcing all staff in care homes to either be vaccinated or lose their job has been a catastrophic error that underlines the cultural differences and inequalities that exist in the system and speaks volumes about how social care is perceived and valued.
It has not been a level playing field. Forty thousand experienced, caring and hard-working people have been forced out of their jobs. Ironically, many have gone to work in the NHS. But many have been completely lost to the health and social care system at a time when they are needed the most.
Why did the government mandate that care homes have to vaccinate all their staff? Seemingly because it could. The government was never going to enjoy the same level of power over NHS providers and faced with the collapse of essential healthcare services, they have re-branded the change of policy as a decision to re-consult. Suggesting that the change is due to Omicron being less severe is a convenient misdirection. This was a battle the government could not win.
Social care deserves greater recognition, respect and a fair price for the care it delivers so we can reward and retain our amazing workforce who care for the most vulnerable in our community. This was not a U-turn; it was always going to be a car crash of epic proportions.
The mental trauma of losing so many wonderful residents and the fear of catching the virus has taken its toll
The anger over this is really about the unfairness of a system that can treat one of its most valuable elements so badly
Mark Cunningham, is CEO of The Fed, which administers the Heathlands complex in Manchester