Care home group ‘will not employ’ staff who refuse Covid-19 vaccine
A care-home provider in Scotland has said it will not employ new staff who have not had a Covid-19 vaccine, adding that the position of existing staff who do not accept a jab may be at risk.
It comes as the Chief Medical Officer and National Clinical Director are set to issue a letter to all care home staff in a bid to combatarecent“targeted”antivaccine misinformation campaign.
Pete Calveley, chief executive of Barchester, told BBC Scotland that the company “won’t employ someone who isn't prepared to have the vaccine.”
"We are going to take a view over the next month or two about current employees,” he added.
Concerns have been raised Uk-wide about sluggish vaccine take-up among care home workers, with warnings from unions and health chiefs that the group faced “targeted misinformation”fromanti-vaccine campaigners.
Firstministernicolasturgeon said on Monday she had heard reportsof“anti-vaxxforces”tryingtodiscouragestafffromtakingthevaccine.aspokesperson for Barchester said yesterday that the company is “reviewing the situation” around existing staff members, but that all new employeesshouldhavethevaccine “as a matter of course”.
“We are very supportive of the vaccination programme and working hard to ensure all our staff and residents take up this opportunity as quickly as possible enabling in time, to winthebattleagainstcovid-19,” they said.
"The severe impact of the virus, particularly on the resident/patient population for whichbarchestercares,makes it necessary to take extraordinary steps to protect them, as well as colleagues and visitors. Our approach is based on protecting the lives of our residentsandpatients,andwewant all new employees who look after residents to have the vaccine as a matter of course. We are reviewing the situation for existing staff members and are developing a policy.”
Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care, said the focus of care homes should be on supporting staff and persuading them to “do the right thing”. "I think we’re in a hearts and minds game,” he said. "There are undoubtedly instances where people don’t have the information, or they’ve been influencedbymisinformation.”