The government will make coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for nursing home staff who work with the elderly and vulnerable, according to Whitehall sources.
Ministers are also considering extending the policy to all NHS staff, a proposal which has already been criticized by some groups representing nurses and doctors.
The government will open a consultation on Wednesday requiring vaccination as a condition of employment for all health workers in an attempt to reduce transmission in hospitals, the sources add.
Full plans are expected to be announced by ministers in the coming days.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs said: “Vaccines are our way out of this pandemic and have already saved thousands of lives – with millions of health and care workers vaccinated.
“Our priority is to make sure people in care homes are protected and we have launched the consultation on whether and how the government could push forward a new requirement for adult care home providers looking after seniors, to deploy only personnel who have had a COVID-19 vaccination or have an appropriate exemption.
“The consultation is closed and we will publish our response in due course.”
The move would mean compulsory vaccination for most of the 1.5 million people working in social services in England, despite previously expressed concerns that it could lead some to leave the profession.
It comes as ministers seek to reduce the spread of COVID-19[female[feminine in nursing homes and hospitals by infected staff, as cases of the Delta variant increase in the community.
The use of the vaccine has also raised concerns among those working in the healthcare sector, with the latest figures suggesting that more than 50,000 caregivers are still unvaccinated.
Some legal experts have already suggested that compulsory vaccination could be challenged as a violation of European human rights law or equality law.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-15 21:33:00