Covid vaccines are to become compulsory for care home staff in England working with the elderly. An announcement on it is expected from the government in the next few days.
Employees at care homes will reportedly have 16 weeks to get their jab. Otherwise they face redeployment from the frontline, or even risk losing their jobs. There is an exception for those who can prove they are medically exempt from getting the vaccine.
The regulations currently only apply to carers of older people. But discussions will also start regarding similar rules for other health and care staff.
The move for compulsory vaccinations has caused concern among care organisations. They warn it could result in increased difficulties in recruiting enough people to a sector that already struggles. There are also concerns about people’s human rights.
Low uptake of vaccines
However, the government have concerns about low levels of the vaccinations in some areas, including London. They feel the move for compulsory vaccines will save lives, and “there is precedent with the Hepatitis B vaccine guidance for doctors.”
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a consultation in April. This followed the government’s claim of meeting the target to offer all frontline care workers a first dose of vaccine by mid-February.
At the time, 47% of English care homes for older people had over a fifth of unvaccinated staff, despite all eligible workers being offered vaccines. Most of these homes even had repeat visits by vaccine teams.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss says she is “sure people appreciate that protecting lives is the absolute priority”. But she did not comment on whether mandatory vaccinations would rollout to other settings.
Organisations that represent care homes are disappointed by the decision and have concerns it could cause legal disputes for providers. They believe that everyone should be vaccinated, but it should happen through “persuasion rather than coercion or compulsion”.
‘Recruitment crisis’
The sector already has a “recruitment crisis”, and there are fears this will “put more people off coming into social care”. The move has the potential to force people out of a sector that already has a shortage of workers. They feel they are not only battling against Covid, but also fighting a government that don’t understand social care.
When the vaccine programme launched, there was huge concern over the low uptake among care home staff. They were targeted with advertising campaigns, given webinars by health leaders, and repeatedly visited by vaccination teams, all in an effort to convince staff to get their jabs.
Although there are many places with good uptake, there are still some places with less than 80% of staff vaccinated. Reasons workers have given for not wanting the vaccine include cultural reasons, safety concerns, and unfounded worries about its effect on fertility.
However, the vulnerability of elderly residents and the closed environments they live in need drastic action. There have been over 40,000 deaths from Covid in the care sector in England.
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