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23
Sept 2021
Harrogate district care homes fear job crisis over mandatory jabs
Care homes in the Harrogate district have sounded the alarm over a looming recruitment crisis over mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for staff.
Government legislation requiring all care home staff and volunteers to have had both jabs comes into force on November 11.
With the date approaching, the health watchdog Healthwatch North Yorkshire conducted a survey of 16 care homes in North Yorkshire and York about the impact of the legislation.
Most care homes supported the sentiment but expressed concerns about its impact.
The social care sector was experiencing staff shortages pre-pandemic and there are concerns that after a tough couple of years, mandatory vaccines will create another recruitment barrier.
Read more:
- 350 Harrogate hospital staff not fully vaccinated against covid
- 500 staff at North Yorkshire care homes could leave due to compulsory vaccinations
One care home told Healthwatch it expected to lose staff; another said it had been forced to turn down candidates and a third said it had created a bureaucratic burden on already overstretched staff.
The Coach House Nursing Home in Ripon said in the report:
Ashley Green, chief executive of Healthwatch North Yorkshire and Siân Balsom, Healthwatch York manager said in a joint statement:
Most acute recruitment crisis ever
The National Care Forum, which is the membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care sector, has today written an open later to the government asking for support with what is describes as the worst job crisis in the sector's history.
MHA, the UK's largest charity care provider which has two care homes in Harrogate, is among the signatories of the letter.
The letter said:
The NCF called on the government to offer a retention bonus to care staff, welcome staff from overseas and launch a national recruitment campaign.
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