Volunteers may be required in staffing shortfall at English care homes

[Northerner]

An army of volunteers could be needed this winter to tackle rising staff shortages in care homes fuelled by the looming requirement for all care home workers to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, providers have said.

As the health secretary, Sajid Javid, urged care workers to book their jabs in time to meet the 11 November deadline for all staff in registered care homes in England to be fully vaccinated, the Independent Care Group said operators could be forced to hand back contracts to councils or close care homes and relocate residents because of a staffing crisis, exacerbated by ongoing vaccine hesitancy among a minority of staff. It is leading calls for retired nurses, doctors, carers, to be trained and DBS-checked to fill vacancies in case of a feared “winter meltdown” in staff numbers.

One in five workers on the books of a care worker agency in Sheffield are declining the vaccine, according to Nicola Richards, the director of Palms Row Healthcare. She also reported an “alarming” drop in the number of workers signing up, with many put off by the “no jab, no job” policy. She has been unable to provide temporary staff to some clients in recent weeks.

Volunteers may be required in staffing shortfall at English care homes

‘Alarming’ drop in workers signing up, with many put off by requirement to be fully vaccinated against Covid by 11 November

www.theguardian.com

Presumably Johnson's oven-ready plan for social care in action 🙄

 

[mikeyB]

Whatever the truth of the story, Palms Row Healthcare is a private company that owns two care homes. So not exactly an authority on the whole of the country. My guess is the numbers of unvaccinated care home workers varies across England.

I don’t care whether Johnson has an oven ready plan for social care. We all know he hasn’t, because it’s not his personal responsibility, that responsibility is under the remit of junior minister Helen Whateley. Who is she? Dunno. Her Boss is Sajid Javid, Minister for Health and Social Care, who has to concentrate on health. Even so, Social Care for children comes under the remit of the Education department in England.

In Scotland Social Care is fully integrated into the NHS, but it isn’t in England other than in the title of the Minister.

 

[Northerner]

Whatever the truth of the story, Palms Row Healthcare is a private company that owns two care homes. So not exactly an authority on the whole of the country. My guess is the numbers of unvaccinated care home workers varies across England.

I don’t care whether Johnson has an oven ready plan for social care. We all know he hasn’t, because it’s not his personal responsibility, that responsibility is under the remit of junior minister Helen Whateley. Who is she? Dunno. Her Boss is Sajid Javid, Minister for Health and Social Care, who has to concentrate on health. Even so, Social Care for children comes under the remit of the Education department in England.

In Scotland Social Care is fully integrated into the NHS, but it isn’t in England other than in the title of the Minister.

Yes, I remember what a meaningless gesture it was when the Tories combined the titles