An Edinburgh care home operator has brought in a no jab, no job policy for new staff after concerns surrounding vaccine take-up numbers amongst workers.
The Guardian has reported this morning that Care UK, which runs three homes in Edinburgh, has seen more than two-thirds of its staff vaccinated.
Care UK has homes in Colinton, Portobello and Murrayfield, with 120 homes across the UK.
A spokesperson for Care UK said: “Everyone applying for a role which requires them to go into a home will be expected to have been vaccinated before they start work.”
The decision for the policy comes after Barchester - who operate four homes in the outskirts of Edinburgh - said that all current staff are expected to take the vaccination, issuing a warning that if they “refuse … on non-medical grounds [they] will, by reason of their own decision, make themselves unavailable for work”.
Barchester has said it expects all of their staff to have had the vaccine by 23 April - with the only exemptions on medical grounds, including pregnancy - with 82 per cent of its staff having received a first dose already.
A spokesperson for Barchester told the Guardian: "We are very aware of concerns around possible discrimination which is in no way our intention,” a spokesperson said. “We are doing everything possible to ensure fairness while also delivering on our duty to protect our residents, patients and staff.”
The care home provider has also told families that designated visitors to their homes will have to provide proof of Covid vaccination before visiting loved ones.
