Vaccination will not be compulsory for home care workers says Hancock

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the government is not considering making vaccinations mandatory for home care workers.

Mr Hancock has told MPs in Parliament that COVID-19 vaccination won’t be compulsory for home care workers, unlike staff working in care homes who care for people who are “the highest risk of all”.

His words follow the government's decision to launch a five-week consultation looking into whether or not it should introduce legislation to make Covid vaccination a condition of employment for care home staff.

Hancock: ‘We have not said that for those working in domiciliary care’

In parliament, Mr Hancock said on 20 April: “If you are a care worker, that means you are close to people who are vulnerable. That’s the nature of the job.

"That’s why I think it’s right to consider whether you can only be deployed in a care home if you have had a jab. We are looking into that.

“We have not said that for those who work in domiciliary care because it is those in care homes that are the highest risk of all.

“But I would absolutely urge anyone who is a carer, whether they work in social care or are an unpaid carer, if they haven’t already had the jab then please do, not just protect you, but to protect those over whom you have a duty of care.”

70% of UK home care providers polled want compulsory vaccination

The United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA) has published poll results on the question of mandatory vaccination, which revealed 70 per cent of UK home care providers polled want Covid vaccination to be compulsory and a legal requirement for its domiciliary care staff.

The poll (conducted 23-26 March) received responses from 579 UKHCA members – the equivalent of 25 per cent of UKHCA’s almost 2,300-strong membership.

Half of those polled ‘strongly supported it’ and 20 per cent said they ‘supported’ it. Reasons given in support include: to protect home care clients and staff, meet clients’ expectations and reduce virus transmission.

Some 23 per cent did not support it and seven per cent said they were ‘unsure’. Reasons given against mandatory vaccination included: Infringement of workers’ rights or choice, workers’ reluctance to be vaccinated, anticipated side effects and negative impact on recruitment.

UKHCA chief executive Dr Jane Townson and Colin Angel, UKHCA campaigns and policy director, said in a joint blog posted on the association’s website, that in relation to compulsory vaccinations "such a move would require careful thought".

"Views among both members of the workforce and employers range from strong support to strong opposition. United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA) strongly supports vaccination of the home care workforce against coronavirus.

"Preliminary conversations with some home care providers in March 2021 suggested a degree of qualified support for a legal requirement for workers to be vaccinated against coronavirus in the future, particularly if current voluntary arrangements are less effective than we hope they will be."

Dr Jane Townson said the UKHCA’s current preference is to encourage voluntary take up of the vaccine but if close to complete voluntary take up is not achieved, its members would support compulsory vaccination as a condition of employment.

UKHCA: 'Our preference for now is to continue to encourage voluntary uptake'

Dr Jane Townson said: "As we are only two to three months into the COVID-19 vaccination programme for home care workers, our preference for now is to continue to encourage voluntary uptake of vaccination.

"Addressing concerns of careworkers regarding vaccination is also important and we value the online resources available to assist with this.

"If, however, it proves difficult to achieve close to complete voluntary take-up of vaccination of the home care workforce over time, our research indicates that a majority of our members would support a requirement for vaccination as a condition of employment in home care in future.

"There is no suggestion that people should be forced to have a vaccination against their will. Rather, people would have a choice about whether or not they work in a sector in future where vaccination could become a requirement. There is of course a risk that this could further exacerbate challenges of recruitment and retention in the care sector."

The UKHCA chief executive is urging the Department of Health and Social Care to re-open the National Booking Service for care workers which has "made it much easier for home care workers to access vaccination."

Prior to this, access to vaccination was variable due to different approaches by local authorities in England. The UKHCA said the closure of the National Booking Service would "almost certainly result in lower uptake of vaccination among some groups of care workers, simply because they are unable to access vaccination appointments easily, or at all."