Thousands of Yorkshire care workers not fully vaccinated as deadline approaches

Almost one in five care workers who look after elderly people in Yorkshire and the Humber have not received two doses of a Covid-19 jab, even though they will soon have to prove they are fully vaccinated to continue working.
The Government has said that from November 11, all staff in registered care homes in England must double jabbed if they are to continue working, unless they are medically exempt.The Government has said that from November 11, all staff in registered care homes in England must double jabbed if they are to continue working, unless they are medically exempt.
The Government has said that from November 11, all staff in registered care homes in England must double jabbed if they are to continue working, unless they are medically exempt.

The latest NHS figures show 82.1 per cent of people working in older adult care homes in the region had received two jabs by August 29, but 8,196 had not been fully vaccinated.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, York recorded the highest vaccine uptake among care workers (92 per cent) and Kirklees had the lowest (74.30 per cent), but the figures also show 93.8 per cent of residents have been fully vaccinated.

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The Government has said that from November 11, all staff in registered care homes in England must double jabbed if they are to continue working, unless they are medically exempt.

This means staff, who were prioritised when the vaccine roll out began in December, must get their first dose by September 16.

But trade unions have warned the policy will prompt workers to leave and exacerbate the current recruitment crisis, while the Government’s best estimate suggests 40,000 could be lost.

Christina McAnea, general secretary of UNISON, said: “Vaccination remains the way out of the pandemic. But coercing and bullying people can never be the right approach.

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““The Government must scrap the ‘no jab, no job’ rule now. Widespread care home closures could be the consequence if they ignore the warnings. This would be disastrous for elderly people and those who cannot live without care support.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The vast majority of care staff are already vaccinated and we are focusing on encouraging even more staff to get jabbed to protect their colleagues and those they care for.

“Our message is clear: vaccines save lives and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce the risk for vulnerable people in care homes.”