The deadline for mandatory COVID vaccinations in care home staff are moving ever closer, adding to staffing pressures in social care on the Isle of Wight,
Those working in care homes or any professional visiting a care home regulated by the Care Quality Commission, need to be double jabbed unless medically exempt or in an emergency, from 11th November. However, the deadline for staff to have had at least their first COVID vaccination is next week.
The impact on the Island’s frontline care home provision is anticipated to be in around 5% of the workforce, which is smaller than the number nationally, where between 7 and 10% of workers will be impacted.
Laura Gaudion, Isle of Wight Council interim director of adult social care, said the national pressures being reflected on the Island, in terms of a lack of workforce, would not be ‘assisted greatly’ when the deadline is reached.
Speaking at the council’s policy and scrutiny committee for health and social care on Monday, Ms Gaudion said the council was providing support to its workforce, and other providers, to ensure people have enough information to make an informed decision around their vaccination status.
Work done by teams from Public Health and the Clinical Commissioning Groups had had a positive impact on people, Ms Gaudion said, standing them in good stead.
The government is now consulting on whether to make it mandatory for all frontline health and care staff to have a COVID vaccination, expanding from just care staff.
At the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, chief nurse, Mary Aubrey, said nearly 3,300 staff have been vaccinated or 85% of the workforce.
Speaking at the trust board meeting last week, Ms Aubrey said they do need to increase the number of staff vaccinated to try and get herd immunity, which will protect staff and patients even more.
Ms Aubrey said the trust is working with members of the community team who have to go into social care settings who have not been vaccinated, to motivate them to do so. She said the trust was not going with an enforcement approach but a supportive and collaborative one to encourage the vaccination uptake among staff.
So the council are providing support are they .First I’ve heard of it . Lies ,lies and more lies.
I thought even when vaccinated you can still contract covid and still pass it on.You just will not suffer as badly with covid?
This keeps the pressue off the nhs which was the whole point of all the lockdowns
If adults dont want to get vaccinated then it should be thier decision.This constant media / goverment pressure to forc this vaccination on adults is not helpful.
good to see the governments agenda backfiring – people are quitting rather than being coerced and forced to have a jab against their will -which will ensure that care homes do not have enough staff to operate safely.
The jab does not prevent anyone catching or transmitting covid and as such the residents are just as much at risk from vaccinated or unvaccinated staff members. Evidence has shown that viral loads are the same in vaccinated and unvaccinated.
The purpose of the jab is to reduce the likelyhood of severe symptoms and death – it is pointless to prevent those not having it, working when it doesnt stop transmission.
Just have the vaccine and stop being namby pamby about it.
Knew it would be you with the moronic comment. Go take Zxclon B.
I think is heinously unfair for the Government to have brought in legislation that FORCES a private industry to have to have their staff vaccinated or lose their jobs, when a Government run organisation (the ‘sacred cow’ NHS) are not!
Why are the NHS not getting the same treatment? Oh yes unions…. so when the care sector collapses, the hospitals will be full and nurses haven’t been vaccinated. You cannot make it up.
I’m currently working in a carehome, so if you work there you have to be doubled jabbed by 11th of November!,I’m not again the jab at all! I respect everyone has the right to decide if they want the jab, BUT the bit I dont get is we all were caring for covid residents when the goverment messed up and now relatives and delivery drivers can still arrive at the carehome and not be vaccinated ……the reason it hasn’t been forced just yet on the nhs is because the carehome sector is the test as if nhs staff refuse and a big % of staff leave who’s gunna look after the patients?