Over fears that the plan could cause harm and death to elderly people, No10 asked today for No10’s controversial ‘no job, no jab’ carers policy until April.
All care home workers must now have two Covid vaccinations in order to continue working. According to estimates, up to 60,000.
Mike Padgham is chair of Independent Care Group which represents Yorkshire providers and has asked ministers for a delay.
He said that it was necessary to delay the start of next spring for the sector, to make sure they are able to get through winter.
His warning was that mandatory jabs could cause death to vulnerable residents as they would leave their homes with unsafe staffing.
Unions already have claimed many homes and may force them to close tomorrow due to staff shortages. Before the outbreak, there were already 100,000 unemployed workers in this sector.
Sajid javid denied that the deadline tomorrow would lead to elderly people dying. However, Sajid Javid insisted that the sector’s policy could be managed.
This graph displays the percentage of care home staff who received the first and second doses. This graph shows there wasn’t a sudden increase in vaccine uptake after the mandatory jabs became available.
Mike Padgham, chair of Independent Care Group that represents Yorkshire providers has asked ministers to extend the deadline until April next year to meet the NHS. Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, said that care home workers had been given five months to receive the Covid vaccine.
Ministers were repeatedly asked by care bosses to postpone the mandated vaccine for this sector. The plans could lead to a massive exodus, with home owners forced to reduce or even close their facilities.
However, yesterday Mr. Javid expanded the policy to NHS workers on the frontline but delayed it’s entry into force until spring next year.
NHS unions asked for the move to this date in order to support hospitals during what will be a challenging winter.
Critics have decried the plan as neither necessary nor proportionate, noting that nine out of ten NHS workers and care home staff already are double-jabbed.
Ministers insist that every patient in a hospital or home deserves to be “properly protected”.
He called for the delay of the mandate for care homes and said to the Today program: “I appeal to them, to match the April deadline for health services which was set for it.
“We have to take the time needed to weather winter so that we are able to care for our patients safely.”
He said, “We must delay it because it is important to provide the best care for our patients. It’s going to be a difficult winter ahead for both the health system and us. We need to cooperate.”
He was asked whether the policy might cause death.
“We don’t know what to do when we are short of staff. Sometimes facilities may have to cut back on the people they care for or, in certain cases, even close.
“There are no rooms in hospitals, there is not enough room for people to get in to the community. The Government won’t even allow social workers to apply for temporary visas, and all efforts to improve the situation seem blocked.”
Javid denied that the policy could cause deaths when the claim was made.
He stated that, “I believe certain from all we have seen, while this will pose challenges for the sector it will ultimately be manageable and it will make it safer.”
“If you didn’t have this policy, then it would be that there would still be thousands of people caring for vulnerable individuals who are more susceptible than other people to contract the virus.
‘It’s still out there — and they would be passing that on potentially to people that are so vulnerable that it could be fatal. That should not be allowed.
Ministers were criticised when they brought in the policy for failing to publish an impact assessment — which would have laid out plans for managing a staffing crisis.
Some 76,000 people worked in senior adult care homes, and they were not hounded when the policy was first announced.
Care sources claim this number is now at 25,000. However, jabs made compulsory have only had a small effect on vaccinations because of the lack of a sharp increase in vaccines during the five months prior to the deadline.
It is also required that anyone working in younger adult care homes must have a double jab.
According to an impact analysis, only 25.000 of the 125,000 NHS employees that aren’t currently jabbed will receive this jab.
The ministers also expect 73,000 to not come forward for vaccines, and will therefore lose their jobs. The remaining 30,000 vaccine recipients are exempt from medical treatment.
Javid claimed that compulsory jabs were a good idea, although critics argue they’re unnecessary as 90 percent of employees have already been jabbed. 93% are also fully jabbed.