Home care staff asked to respond to consultation on whether jab mandate should be scrapped

Home care workers are being encouraged to give their views - before the 16 February deadline - in a consultation on whether the government should scrap Covid vaccination as a condition of employment in NHS and social care settings.

Home care staff were required to have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine by 3 February to meet an incoming vaccination mandate on 1 April.

However, on 9 February, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) opened a consultation into revoking its controversial ‘no jab no job’ mandate for NHS and social care workers.

'No longer proportionate'

The DHSC stated: ‘While vaccination remains our very best line of defence against COVID-19, and all people working in health and social care settings have a professional duty to be vaccinated, the view of this government is that it is no longer proportionate to require vaccination as a condition of deployment through statute in health, care homes or other social care settings.

‘The consultation seeks views on the intention to revoke the policy.’

More than 1.3 million social care workers in England have taken up at least one dose of a Covid vaccination. While a ‘no jab no job’ mandate has not yet come into force for the home care sector, care providers have reported 88 per cent of home care staff received one dose of the vaccine, as of 30 January.

Dr Jane Townson, chief executive of The Homecare Association, which represents home care providers, posted on Twitter: ‘We urge our members to respond to this survey’.

For home care workers, for whom regulations have not yet come into force, the government has advised care providers that there should be no further dismissals of staff in relation to the incoming mandate policy.

Health Secretary: 'We have to consider the impact on the workforce'

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid told MPs on 31 January, said: “There would always be some people who would not do the responsible thing and choose to remain unvaccinated and in doing so, choosing to walk away from their jobs in health and care.

‘Despite it being their choice to leave their jobs, we have to consider the impact on the workforce in NHS and social care settings. Especially at a time when we already had a shortage of workers and near full employment across the economy.’

Testing is currently available to the entire care sector including staff working in home care and care homes. From 16 February, the government has said all care workers taking part in routine asymptomatic testing will be asked to take a rapid lateral flow test each day before starting work. This will replace PCR testing for all staff in adult social care.

The DHSC states the introduction of a daily pre-shift rapid lateral flow test for staff ‘will help to rapidly identify and isolate people who are at a high likelihood of spreading the virus, helping to break the chain of transmission, prevent hospitalisations and save lives.’

The government mandate consultation will close at 11.45pm on 16 February.

To give your view on mandatory vaccination for adult social care, you can respond to the DHSC’s consultation by clicking here