Up to 86 care home staff in Bury face losing their jobs in November as they have refused to be vaccinated.
England’s care workers must have had their first Covid-19 vaccine dose by Thursday, September 16 and be double-jabbed by November 11 to continue working in the care sector.
Unions have attacked the government policy and say that across England, thousands of vulnerable people could be put at risk by what they describe as the ‘no jab, no job’ care homes policy.
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Bury Council have released data from the NHS capacity tracker, which is the national system for care homes reporting to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the vaccination take up.
The data as of September 16 was that of the 1,972 staff employed in Bury care homes, 86, (four per cent) of staff have not yet received their first dose vaccination.
The council said 88 per cent of care home staff have had both doses and that will rise between now and the November deadline.
The council said that 13 of the 54 registered care homes in Bury achieved 100 per cent of staff having received their first dose vaccination.
A spokesman for Bury Council, said “We have asked homes what contingencies they have in place to ensure the service continues to meet customers’ needs, should any non-vaccinated staff leave the service and
what support they might require from us.
“Thankfully, no home has raised concerns about their ability to manage their service, and no support has been requested.”
The Unison union estimates that up to 70,000 care home workers in England may not be fully vaccinated by the deadline.
They believe mandatory vaccination should be scrapped or thousands of people may lose out on the support they need.
Unison said there are more than 112,000 vacancies in care and the government itself predicts the loss of 40,000 to 70,000 workers because of its ‘no jab, no job’ care homes policy.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Everyone that can have the vaccine, should have the vaccine.
“But the government has persisted with a heavy-handed approach despite warnings from care employers of the dire consequences.
“This move is damaging a sector already on its knees and undermining trust in the vaccine.
“If roles can’t be filled, the level and volume of care offered will be reduced.
“Vaccine-hesitant staff must be offered reassurance and persuasion, not threats and ultimatums.
“Instead of encouraging much-needed recruitment into care, the government is actively driving experienced staff away.”
