Sleaford care homes back Coronavirus jab law for workers

Covid vaccinations are to be made mandatory for care home staff in England – as figures reveal around one in eight workers in Lincolnshire are yet to receive a jab.

Staff will be given 16 weeks to get fully vaccinated from the time new legislation is approved by Parliament, health secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

He said the move, set to take effect from October, was aimed at protecting the most vulnerable from the virus and would cover all workers employed by a care home provider.

Hazel Whittaker, manager of Holdingham Grange care home, part of the Glenholme Healthcare Group, said she and her employers welcomed the news: “It recognises the vulnerability of those we care for and the challenges of the last eighteen months for the sector,” she said.

“At Holdingham Grange, we are fortunate to have kept covid at bay and are proud that 100 per cent of our staff and residents have been vaccinated and that it is already a condition of employment that all new staff are vaccinated before starting.“

Jilly Hunt, manager at Ashdene care home said they had achieved 100 per cent vaccinations in April – ahead of the consultation to make it mandatory – and she was proud of her staff’s commitment.

She commented: “I understand some homes are struggling to have their staff vaccinated; not quite sure the reasoning behind the staff not wanting to be vaccinated and keeping themselves and others safe.”

Concerns have been raised by leaders in the care sector that such an “oppressive” approach would lead to staff shortages.

NHS figures show in Lincolnshire, 1,062 out of 8,387 eligible staff, including agency workers, at older adult care homes had not received a first dose by June 13, 13 percent of all those eligible for the vaccine.

That proportion has fallen slightly from April 11, shortly after plans for mandatory vaccinations first emerged, when 15 percent were unvaccinated.

Vaccine hesitancy among care staff in some areas of England has prompted the decision by the Government according to social care experts within the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Across the country, the uptake for first doses varies by region with London having the highest proportion of unvaccinated staff – 23 per cent.

Back in April a five-week consultation on the proposal was launched by the Department of Health and Social Care.

It has seen the idea extended to cover not only care homes for older people, but all Care Quality Commission-registered care homes providing nursing and personal care.

Making the announcement on Wednesday, June 16, Mr Hancock said: “Vaccines save lives and while staff and residents in care homes have been prioritised and the majority are now vaccinated we need to do everything we can to keep reducing the risk.”

Nadra Ahmed, chief executive of the National Care Association, which represent care providers, said the Government now risked a staffing shortage.

Meanwhile, Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The Government’s sledgehammer approach now runs the risk that some care staff may simply walk away from an already understaffed, undervalued and underpaid sector.”