Today saw care homes in chaos as thousands of employees were forced to leave because the “no jab no job” policy caused them to be shut down.
From today all care home workers — including nurses, cleaners and receptionists — must have two doses of the Covid vaccine or be made redundant.
The unions condemned the threat to the sector, describing it as a “taking a shovel to break a nut”.
And care home bosses told how they had been left heartbroken by leaving letters from staff — some with more than a decade’s experience — who did not want to go. Liverpool’s one care home reported that they lost 7 percent of their staff.
They were surrounded by cards of thanks from the families that helped them, and unvaccinated workers said they felt hurt to suddenly be labelled as ‘an immediate threat’.
A Bristol carer of 46 years, who worked in the industry for 15-years, said that redundancies were unfair on residents as well staff.
Estimates suggest up to 60,000 workers have lost their jobs after refusing to get the vaccine — roughly ten per cent of the workforce. This figure is in addition to the approximately 100,000 unfilled jobs already found within this industry.
According to reports, today’s homes are refusing patients access to the NHS due lack of space. According to estimates, hundreds of homes could be closing down and many others will have to reduce bed count due the current staffing crisis.
Ministers justified the mandate by claiming that the vaccine was safe and effective, and care workers were able to access it quickly. The policy’s purpose was to provide ‘proper protection from Covid’ for vulnerable residents.
The move comes before frontline NHS workers who are required to receive two doses each of Covid vaccine prior to April. The care chiefs appealed to yesterday that their deadline be extended until spring so residents aren’t harmed by unsafe staffing.
Niccii Gillett is a Surrey-based care worker who said she felt ‘heartbroken by’ the letters that were left behind from non-vaccinated employees. Ruslana, an ex-care worker who refused the jab, said she got a job with Lidl.
Helen Ormandy from St Joseph’s home in Liverpool stated today that the vaccination mandate had caused them to lose about 7 percent of staff. She said they will still be able operate safely.
Pictured: This graph depicts the percentage of care home staff who received the first and second vaccine doses before the deadline.
This chart comes from Government’s assessment of the effect of double vaccination in the NHS and social care. The chart shows that the Government anticipates 38,000 social workers leaving their jobs when double-vaccination is mandatory. Unions claim that the actual number is closer to 60,000
After refusing the vaccine, a care worker said he felt abandoned by his employer and “betrayed” by the outcome.
Dave Kelly (32), who requested not to be photographed, began working in Merseyside as a ‘doer of good for others’ at an elderly home.
According to him, after signing up during the outbreak of the pandemic one year and half ago, he was only allowed three weeks off.
Former carer stated that she was a former guide in Asia. Now, I sit in front of thank-you cards and gifts from more than 40 families. I also continue to care for family members who lost loved ones in care.
How do you feel right now?- Feelings like: abandoned, neglected, betrayed and shunned.
“Most important, I fear for the millions who will have to work or live in crippled care.”
Kelly stated that he was irritated at being allowed to serve on the frontlines with no protection and now considered an “instant danger”.
He was unable to explain the reasons he decided against getting the Covid jab.
A Bristol-based unvaccinated worker revealed she had been working as a caretaker in Lidl since the Covid mandate.
Ruslana Mironova, 46, had worked at luxury £10million home Badminton Place but resigned as soon as vaccines were made compulsory.
Former carer stated that she was very disappointed and it was very sad. [to have left]
“I am a caring professional for over 15 years. It is something I enjoy. We should have the freedom to choose whether or not we want to get the vaccine.
‘I care about the people I care for, and I’m really disappointed with the Government, not with my managers — they have no choice either.
“I’m not afraid to voice my opinion on these matters. It’s not fair for the 30,000 carers who have left their job and it’s not fair for the people being cared for — there is already a shortage of carers and NHS staff and now the Government is creating an even bigger problem.’
Mironova claimed that at first she looked for employment in the NHS. However, it was difficult to justify why she quit the sector of care after many years.
Former carer was able to get all the traditional jabs she needed, but decided not to try out Covid because it was’made so fast’ and that she didn’t want to be treated as an experiment mouse. The potential effects on the body over time was something she was concerned about.
Yesterday, a care manager revealed how her heart was broken by letters left from staff members who were not vaccinated.
Niccii Gillett (37) is the Elmfield House Residential Home manager in Woking (Surrey). She said six of 36 workers had been fired because of this mandate. Two of the employees had worked at Elmfield House Residential Home for seven years.
She stated, “The sad fact is none of them wanted out. Their resignation letters were heartbreaking.
“They were so grateful to us for their opportunities, and we even gave them gifts.
It was an emotionally charged afternoon. My residents felt heartbroken for days because they had seen this individual as one of their own. Even as residents, they said that they wished she could return, even though she isn’t vaccinated.
Below is a map showing the areas in which more than half of care home workers have not received two doses.
According to her, two staff who resigned had double-jabbed and experienced reactions to vaccines.
Elle said that there were anger and frustration among the family about redundancies. Employees are deprived of the option to choose.
Miss Gillett claimed that four of her full-time employees had been hired to replace them, and she was now looking to hire more staff to fill in for the evening and weekend shifts.
She said, “I know that larger homes are losing much more of the workforce. Just looking around in my local area I see a lot of advertising.
“It is constant, it’s not only one or two jobs. They’re advertising double the amount because it’s such an important issue in care homes.
Devon’s unvaccinated mother of three, who has been working in the healthcare sector for thirty years, announced today that she too had left her job.
Suzanne Cooper (52 years old) told the Mirror she had never stood against anything, but felt so strongly about it. The vaccine has not been tested enough, I believe.
Rachel Harrison, the GMB’s National Officer, described it as ‘taking an sledgehammer and cracking a nut.’
She explained that it was cruel, had caused unneeded heartache, and helped to create a potentially fatal staffing gap in the health care sector.
‘Instead of vilifying our care workforce, they deserve to be treated like the trained professionals they are and paid no less than £15 an hour.’
The nurse said that a minority of staff members were still unvaccinated until they had received exemption from mandatory vaccines.
If staff have suffered a reaction from the jab up to December 23, they can apply to this.
Vic Rayner (chief executive, National Care Forum) warned that the “no jabs, no jobs” policy would leave people in need of care unable to obtain it.
BBC Breakfast, she said: “You’re also seeing organizations who say, unfortunately, that they are not able to care for the people they used to.”
She said, “What it feels like for care homes is that we have been kind of guinea-pigs in the implementation and rollout this policy.”
Paul Scully, the minister for business, has spoken out in defense of this policy and told Sky News that they were all given 12 weeks to complete their jabs.
He stated, “I would like and expect those people to have that duty to care for the people they are there serving and protecting,”
These are people that I fear will die from Covid.
“That’s the essence of that measure and we want to continue that.”
According to official statistics, more than 90% of care home workers received at least two doses.
The policy’s announcement was made in June. At the time, 141,000 people in senior adult care homes hadn’t received two doses.
However, the number had dropped to less than 50,000.
These numbers do not include younger adults who live in adult care homes and will be required to have two doses.
Unions are now warning that up to 60.000 people could be still being double-jabbed.
Ministers own estimates suggest some 38,000 workers — or seven per cent of the workforce — likely did not get two doses of the jab before the deadline.