The vaccine mandate for care homes is having “devastating consequences” for the sector, according to Revitalise, a charity offering respite holidays for disabled people and carers, with some of the few holiday homes facing closure due to staff shortages. The Guardian has the story.
The 60 year-old company, whose patron is the businesswoman and former Prime Minister’s wife Samantha Cameron, runs three specialist holiday centres in England which cater for 4,600 disabled people and their carers each year.
Janine Tregelles, the Chief Executive, said the future of the charity was under threat because of the policy that all care staff in England must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus by November 11th.
“For Revitalise and for the care sector, the mandatory vaccination policy will, if implemented, have devastating consequences,” she said.
The Government said it was vital for care home staff to be fully vaccinated to protect some of the most vulnerable members of society. More than 90% of eligible staff had received their first dose of a Covid vaccine by last week, it said. …
Ministers have previously said they estimate that about 7% of the 570,000 CQC-registered care home staff in England – about 40,000 people – will refuse the vaccine and therefore no longer be able to care for residents after November 11th.
Tregelles said the future of at least one of its three specialist respite centres was at stake. She said five key, longstanding colleagues had chosen not to be vaccinated “because they believe in their right to bodily integrity, which is enshrined in the Human Rights Act”.
Another seven employees, who have been vaccinated, are threatening to resign if their colleagues are made redundant, she said. This means that one holiday centre may have to close, putting “the rest of the charity under threat”. …
She urged ministers to ditch the policy before it deepened the staffing crisis “they have exacerbated beyond measure”.
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