Fears of a 7% loss of care home staff after compulsory vaccination mandate.
Care home staff that aren’t fully Covid-19 vaccinated will lose their job following the compulsory vaccination mandate. There are also major warnings there could be more job losses in the near future.
From 1 April, unless medically exempt, anyone that is unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will not be allowed to work in the domiciliary care sector. With less than five months until the vaccine mandate deadline, there are fears from government estimates that 7% of staff may be forced to leave due to the policy.
Currently, more than 100,000 care home workers are still unvaccinated. If care home employees do not sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine, we could be looking at a catastrophic impact on the domiciliary care sector, caring for people within their own homes.
If we see too many workers refusing to take the vaccine, those in need of care may be left to “die alone in urine soaked beds” according to Dr Jane Townson, CEO of the Homecare Association.
What Is The Vaccine Mandate?
To continue in their roles, health and social care workers, as well as domiciliary care workers are required to show evidence they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. From April 1st 2022, these rules will become mandatory.
Are There Exemptions For The Vaccine Mandate?
According to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021, no one is allowed to enter the care home that has not been fully vaccinated, unless the following:
- For medical reasons, they shouldn’t be vaccinated.
- They are a resident.
- They are a friend or relative.
- They are visiting a dying relative or supporting a resident in relation to bereavement.
- It is reasonably necessary to provide emergency assistance or urgent maintenance.
- They are a member of the emergency services executing duties.
- They are a child.
What Is The Situation For Care Homes?
On November 11th, any unvaccinated member of staff at that point was banned from working in care homes. There was a grace period beginning on the 22nd of July where there were almost 32,000 completely unvaccinated care home staff.
The Current Situation In The UK
If the rules were to come into effect today, rather than April 1st 2022, we would see almost 25 per cent of the home care workforce losing their jobs. Currently, 102,532 out of 413,364 CQC-registered (Care Quality Commission) staff either had one jab or were completely unvaccinated.
66,183 employees of the domiciliary care workforce, accounting for roughly 16 per cent have yet to receive a single vaccine, with almost a quarter without having two jabs. The UK government are trying to encourage health care workers to sign up as soon as possible to receive the jab, being the best way to protect against the virus.
By April, there is plenty of time for domiciliary care workers to get their vaccines with first and second doses given between 8 and 12 weeks apart. However, already there have been tens of thousands of workers dismissed after refusing to be jabbed by 11 November.
Frighteningly, there is approximately one care worker for every individual. Therefore, dismissing 100,000 domiciliary staff would leave 100,000 people without care. CEO of the Homecare Association, Dr Townson has stated “will people be left to die alone in urine-soaked beds at home?”
Estimations from The UK Health Security Agency predict that the vaccine programme has stopped hundreds of thousands of deaths and hospitalisations from coronavirus.
What Happens If I Don’t Agree To Be Covid-19 Vaccinated?
There are different options available if you do not want to have the Covid-19 vaccination and work in a care home. However, it isn’t positive news, as you will likely be dismissed or moved to another area of work. Let’s look at redeployment first.
You’ll Be Redeployed
If you are unable to provide proof of vaccination, or you have a medical exception, then your manager should take the time to explore all the different options that are available to you.
This could involve you moving to an alternative role where vaccination is not required. It is recommended to speak to your manager as soon as possible to try to arrange a solution that works best for you. You should also not assume that being redeployed will be guaranteed.
You’ll Be Dismissed
If you are unable to provide proof of vaccination or proof of exemption, again, your manager should take the time to explore all the different options that are available to you.
However, due to regulations, as you are not vaccinated or medically exempt, your manager has a fair reason for dismissal.
What Are The Key Dates For The Vaccine Mandate?
There has already been a grace period for workers to receive their Covid-19 vaccine. In addition, regulations have recently come into for. Here are the key dates to bear in mind for the vaccine mandate:
| 22nd July | Grace period begins |
| 16th September | The last date available for care home workers to get their first dose, ensuring they are fully vaccinated when regulations come into force |
| 11th November | Regulations are put into effect |
How Do Care Home Workers Demonstrate Evidence They Have Been Vaccinated?
To demonstrate vaccination status for care home workers, the current method is to use the NHS COVID Pass service. Workers that have been vaccinated by the NHS in England have three methods to use the NHS COVID Pass service. They are:
- On the NHS App
- On the NHS website – NHS.uk
- On the NHS COVID Pass letter
However, it should be noted that using an NHS appointment card will not be accepted as proof of vaccination status.
What Are The Statistics Acorss Different Regions Of The UK?
When it comes to different areas of the UK, London has some of the lowest levels of vaccinations. For the Lewisham workforce, only 63 per cent of staff have had one or more doses. This leaves 919 members of staff completely unvaccinated.
Furthermore, areas like Barking and Dagenham have only a 66 per cent rate of one or more doses, with Southwark and Waltham Forest at 68 and 69 per cent. This leaves around 1,500 unvaccinated workers in the three areas.
Other areas, such as North Somerset have 857 members of staff unvaccinated. Then, let’s look at areas like Birmingham and Manchester. Birmingham has a 70 per cent rate of just one dose or more and around 500 care workers are completely unvaccinated in Salford.
Meanwhile, there are some areas with high vaccine uptake rates. The Isles of Scilly have a 100 per cent rate of workers with one dose or more, Rutland at 95 per cent and County Durham, Barnsley and Hartlepool at 94 per cent.
Survey Statistics
Following a National Care Forum (NCF) survey, roughly 40 per cent of members are managing appeals, 58 per cent are running disciplinary hearings and 53 per cent said they have spent money on specialist legal advice. On average, members said 3.5 per cent of their staff have already left, with another 4.4 per cent likely to leave.
Covid-19 Rates In The UK
As of 12th November 2021, the statistics for Covid-19 rates and vaccinations are:
| Daily Cases | 37,243 |
| Daily Deaths | 214 |
| Total Deaths | 143,159 |
| Vaccinations 1st Dose | 75.5% |
| Vaccinations 2nd Dose | 68.6% |
| Vaccinations 3rd Dose | 19.6% |
Has There Been Any Opposition Against The Mandate?
The UK government has confirmed that by April 1st 2022, care home workers and other workers in CQC-regulated social care services will be required fully vaccinated against Covid-19, otherwise, they will lose their job.
With roughly 35,000 respondents to the consultation and more than 15,000 health and social care workers against compulsory Covid-19 vaccination, there was plenty of opposition to the mandate. However, the rules will come into force on April 1st.
What Are The Reasons Stopping People From Having The Vaccine?
Based on research from carehome.co.uk, a fifth of care workers are worried that the Covid-10 vaccine could affect fertility. 28 per cent of participants said they had no confidence in the vaccine, 40 per cent worried about side effects from the vaccine and 32 per cent viewed the vaccination as a health risk.
Are There Going To Be Further Implications?
From the same research, almost 75 per cent of care home staff will see staffing pressures in their care homes further deteriorate due to the new Covid-19 mandate requirements.
There are already mounting staff shortages. There are figures from Skills for Care that show there has been a 3.1 per cent drop in the number of filled posts. For care workers, it is a higher 3.6 per cent, with services for older people at 3.5%.
Adding to the issues, there has been a rise from 6.2 per cent to 9.1 per cent in job vacancies, from only March to October this year. For domiciliary care, vacancies peaked at 12.2% in October.
Employers are finding it more and more difficult to fill these vacancies, with more roles becoming available and more people being dismissed and leaving their current roles. It is a worrying time for the health care sector in the UK.