Around 30,000 unvaccinated care staff will not be allowed to work from today.

[CalamariGames]

www.thesun.co.uk/health/16698590/care-home-staff-lose-job-unvaccinated/

This seems really concerning. I personally am in favour of the vaccination and I think care home staff should be vaccinated but this seems like a massive shortage of staff to compensate for in an industry that is already having difficulty with recruitment. What is the government doing to ensure vulnerable patients are getting the care they need?

I don’t know why people think this is some sort of conspiracy to bring down the nhs. Plenty of other countries, such as France are doing similar.

When Boris's mum was in a care home his sister Rachel said they were paying £6500 per month so that must be the cost I would surmise of a 'good one'.

As much as there is a policy rather than governmental chaos then it is to push social care back to the family and the home as is the case in most Asian families. Javid said so explicitly at the Conference. The collapse of some of the social care home systems will accelerate that process. The vaccine mandate and subsequent crisis (Brexit again !) in staffing and morale certainly aids them on that way.

Probably be packaged as some sort of vouchers, tax breaks to assist home care and nursing leaving just the acute sector remaining for those who have nothing. No doubt that the price of full-service care homes will rise in price and be beyond the reach of most ordinary people.

It also looks like DoH will be looking to nick as many developing countries medical staff that it can - the Philippines being number one to backfill the numbers.

That will be a pretty open door to push against.

theowp.org/filipino-healthcare-workers-pushed-to-their-limits/

Yeah and you know what @Jobseeker19 theyre not staying away from their families now. They are living their lives (as they should) hence the need for vaccination.

I think it's fine. If the care sector needs to boost recruitment it could try increasing its pay and improving working conditions. Then I'm sure it will be able to recruit.

@Amberflames

I don’t know why people think this is some sort of conspiracy to bring down the nhs. Plenty of other countries, such as France are doing similar.

Exactly.

What I don’t understand is that care workers, quite rightly complained about poor PPE, yet so many don’t want a vaccine that will help protect them.

I’ve been happily double jabbed but I don’t believe anyone should be forced to take a Covid vaccine

@AlecTrevelyan006 well that's ok because nobody is being forced. They're not indentured serfs, then are able to work somewhere else.

Personally I’m happy to see any punishment for selfish antivaxxers. If carers don’t trust in modern medicine and won’t protect their vulnerable patients then they shouldn’t be working in the care sector. All their colleagues have been jabbed and so have the people they care for, they’re just being selfish and ridiculous.

@ShinyHappyPoster

It seems like a deliberate attempt to bring the care system and the NHS to its knees so the Government can push towards privatisation and giving large contracts to private companies for new recruitment/training drives, etc. This has been one of the most destructive Conservative governments in living memory. They are dismantling everything that defined the UK and it will take a long time for their deliberate sabotage to be undone.

To be honest, the social care sector is at the point of collapse even without added vaccine pressures. We were hugely reliant on European care staff who have left during the pandemic, so social care providers are already handing their contracts back to local government. They can't recruit staff to keep services up and running.

I think the focus on vaccine refusal is just a distraction from Brexit and the other ways the Tories have fucked the care sector in the last decade. This way some of the public will blame the carers who refuse vaccinations.

@MrsLargeEmbodied

of course they wont use prisoners you need a crb for one

Yes, but not necessarily a clear one. Some crimes/cautions are protected with time, even on an enhanced disclosure and even if something comes up on the disclosure, unless it's violence, to do with vulnerable people and a couple of others, it's down to the discretion of the employer. And are people really so naïve to think that agreeing to a covid vaccination is what makes someone a good carer? Having a vaccinated carer isn't suddenly a guarantee they're good, interested and right for the job, you don't have to pass a test in morality to have it.

I think the focus on vaccine refusal is just a distraction from Brexit and the other ways the Tories have fucked the care sector in the last decade. This way some of the public will blame the carers who refuse vaccinations.

You are talking BS as other Europeans countries and the US are doing same.

@Ryannah

Personally I’m happy to see any punishment for selfish antivaxxers. If carers don’t trust in modern medicine and won’t protect their vulnerable patients then they shouldn’t be working in the care sector. All their colleagues have been jabbed and so have the people they care for, they’re just being selfish and ridiculous.

Tbh, it's not very nuanced of me but this is my feeling too.

@WhoWants2Know well put. The Tories are most adept at pointing the finger of blame at anyone but themselves. Arch Brexiteer Iain Dale on LBC last night was getting call after call from doctors and care staff pointing the finger firmly at Brexit along with covid for much of the staffing crisis. He was sounding quite battered and relieved when he handed over to the next presenter at 10 pm.

.

Personally I’m happy to see any punishment for selfish antivaxxers. If carers don’t trust in modern medicine and won’t protect their vulnerable patients then they shouldn’t be working in the care sector. All their colleagues have been jabbed and so have the people they care for, they’re just being selfish and ridiculous.

But it's not just the carers who are going to suffer, in fact they may well find a new job very easily in today's job market. The real problem is for those who need care and either won't get it at all or will get reduced quality care from overstretched workers.

It's nothing to do with the tories - France and Italy and most of Europe is doing the same thing. In fact All workers in Italy will need to be vaccinated.

@Lollolloll

Well they’re obviously not the brightest are they? They’ve had ample warnings and chances to get vaccinated and would rather not do it and be out of work before Christmas?

It’s their choice, but they shouldn’t be eligible for benefits.

No definitely not the brightest or they would have left a long time before now because they are paid terribly and have long, unsociable hours for little thanks. Remember when you were clapping for them? How quickly people forget what they've done and what they've been through for nearly 2 years.

What's that got to do with being vaccinated or not? Completely seperate issue.

The real problem is for those who need care and either won't get it at all or will get reduced quality care from overstretched workers
I don’t think it’s wise to have people who don’t believe in medicine caring for people who need medical care.

@Ryannah

Personally I’m happy to see any punishment for selfish antivaxxers. If carers don’t trust in modern medicine and won’t protect their vulnerable patients then they shouldn’t be working in the care sector. All their colleagues have been jabbed and so have the people they care for, they’re just being selfish and ridiculous.

And how do you know everyone they care for has been vaccinated? You can't possibly know that because it's not a requirement for residents to be vaccinated.

In Jan this year 95% of care homes had had all their residents vaccinated.

Some of the entitled comments on here willing punishment on some of the poorest paid hard-working, caring but probably misguided folk is a real eye-opener. Most probably unrepentant Tory voters who 'got Brexit done'.

@vera99

Some of the entitled comments on here willing punishment on some of the poorest paid hard-working, caring but probably misguided folk is a real eye-opener. Most probably unrepentant Tory voters who 'got Brexit done'.

Why are you making this a UK issue when it is happening all over Europe and the EU?

@Sugarandtime

It’s a sad and twisted world we now live in. The government’s wanted to divide and conquer and that’s exactly what’s happened.

So sad that so many have allowed this to happen and scary that they also seem so happy about it.
I wonder if they have always been like this or if it’s the constant fear they have that has caused them to be so nasty.

I agree.

Just another example, how Government really “care” about the elderly, How many will die this winter due to shortages in care?

Maybe the government needs to also make sure that they made it as easy as possible to get a vaccine once the first push was over.

I delayed my second jab because I was ill and on holiday. It was actually quite difficult to find somewhere to have a jab as centres closed. There’s not as many places now.

But that doesn’t excuse vaccine hesitancy - I would have thought a carrot and stick approach would be better when setting a deadline, instead of just a stick. They delayed it for the NHS so could have done the same here and increased the provision of vaccines.

That being said, I think it’s a small % of staff who aren’t vaccinated - which makes you realise how big the sector is.

And how do you know everyone they care for has been vaccinated? You can't possibly know that because it's not a requirement for residents to be vaccinated.
All the more reason to make it compulsory for carers to be vaccinated in order to protect them.