Tens of thousands of unvaccinated care workers are set to lose their jobs next week, figures suggest.
The government has made it mandatory for staff in registered care homes in England to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus as a condition of deployment, unless they are exempt for valid medical reasons.
From November 11, it will be a legal requirement for all care home workers - as well as NHS workers, tradespeople or inspectors who need to enter a care home as part of their employment - to have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
According to data from NHS England, around 89.4 per cent of staff working in older age care homes had received two vaccine doses as of October 31.
The remaining 49,040 staff – around one in 10 of the total – had not been recorded as having received two doses at this point.
The equivalent figure for staff in care homes for under-65s is 13.6% – 11,924 staff.
This suggests a total of 60,964 staff have not had a second jab or their second jab has not been reported as of the end of October.
The total includes staff who cannot be vaccinated for valid medical reasons and those whose vaccination status is unknown, while there may also be a time lag in some vaccinations being reported.
There is no published data on how many staff have self-certified as exempt or have applied for official proof.
But it is understood that this is around several thousand staff.
Sector leaders fear the new rules will result in an exodus of care staff.
Adam Purnell, director of social care at the Institute of Health and Social Care Management, said it will be “horrific” for the sector to lose so many staff so suddenly, and that residents in some settings will be at risk.
He accused the government of a “severe lack of listening and understanding” over the potential impacts of the policy, which care bodies have been warning of for months.
He told the PA news agency: “People are on the edge, I think business viability is a major concern moving forward.
“If we’re talking about protecting the NHS throughout the winter, to protect the NHS we need a fully functioning social care service, which we’re not going to have.”
He said there would be “no shame” in the government postponing next week’s deadline until after winter, as this would reduce the burden on services.
He continued: “I worry that one of the after-effects of this is people won’t be taking their annual leave, people won’t be taking their downtime, and it’s only going to increase over-exertion.
“We’re going to see burnout across the sector.”
It comes as a government consultation on extending the mandatory vaccination condition to all social care and NHS staff recently concluded.
The government is expected to announce that all NHS staff will need to be vaccinated by April next year.
