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More than 50,000 care home workers set to lose their jobs as Covid vaccine deadline passes
It is believed that, because of the new vaccine mandate, the care sector will lose 8% of its workforce
Tens of thousands of care home staff face losing their jobs today as the mandatory Covid-19 vaccine deadline passes.
From today, November 11th, all care home workers in England must be double vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue working in the sector. However, official NHS figures due this afternoon are expected to show that, as of November 7th, over 50,000 current care staff have not been recorded as having had both doses of the jab.
The National Care Forum (NCF) conducted a survey that found the care sector could lose up to 8% of its workforce as a result of the new rule.
Gov.uk
The survey also found that 58% of care home managers are running disciplinary hearings and 40% are managing appeals that are related to the requirement, while 53% said they have spent money on specialist legal advice.
The NCF added that social care cannot afford such a serious loss of staff given the ‘enormous’ workforce pressures currently experienced across the sector.
Vic Rayner, the NCF’s chief executive, stressed that care homes have been the ‘unwitting guinea pigs’ throughout the rollout of the policy, which one provider branded a ‘shambles’.
According to Sky News, care home providers can choose to redeploy staff into non-frontline roles – if these are available – or place them on paid or unpaid leave until they receive both doses.
On Tuesday, the vaccine mandate was extended to all front-line NHS workers in England, who have been given until April 2022 to receive both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
In a statement to MPs earlier this week, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Having considered the consultation responses, the advice of my officials and NHS leaders including the chief executive of the NHS, I have concluded that all those working in the NHS and social care will have to be vaccinated.
“We must avoid preventable harm and protect patients in the NHS, protect colleagues in the NHS and, of course, protect the NHS itself.”