Crunch talks over mandatory jabs
CARE leaders are meeting with Government officials over the issue of mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for care home staff, amid concerns it could put people off working in the sector.
Representative bodies have voiced fears that making having the vaccine a requirement will deter those who might have thought of joining the workforce, and see others already in jobs leave as a result.
Following a consultation carried out into using staff vaccination in England to protect the most vulnerable from Covid-19, ministers are understood to be due to announce the move in the coming days.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is known to be in favour, while England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has said doctors and care workers have a “professional responsibility” to protect their patients.
Consultation is also expected to begin on whether other health and care workers should also have the jabs.
Providers and representatives from the care sector attended a virtual meeting with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care yesterday to discuss the
issue. The decision, first reported by the Guardian, is controversial, with the GMB union claiming more than a third of carers would consider leaving their jobs if vaccinations become compulsory.
Dr Susan Hopkins, strategic response director for Covid-19 at Public Health England, said there are “pros and cons to any debate on mandatory vaccination”, with one possible downside being that “people may vote with their feet, and not want to have the vaccine, and therefore not work in a care home, and that could lead to staff supply issues in care homes”.
She said: “I will remain a little bit concerned that we will have shortages of care staff once the mandate has come in, but I’m sure that the vast majority of care workers do want to do the right thing to protect the elderly under their care.”
Mike Padgham, chairman of the Independent Care Group which represents care homes in Yorkshire, said recruitment was “always challenging” before the pandemic and “is becoming more critical now”.
He told the PA news agency: “If this goes ahead and is compulsory then I think it will put people off coming into the service. That’s one problem.
“The second problem is people who are already working in the service who might not want the vaccine. We are so stretched for frontline staff.”
While his area of Yorkshire has a relatively high uptake of the jab, some parts of the country, such as London, have far lower levels among care home staff.
NHS figures to June 6 show overall that 84% of staff in older adult care homes in England have had one dose of vaccine, and almost 69% have had both jabs. But the data shows that in Hackney, east London, just 66.7% of staff in older adult care homes have had their first dose, with only 58.6% of staff in the borough having both doses.