Care home group will refuse to hire anyone who hasn’t had the Covid vaccine

One of the UK’s biggest care home groups with homes in Greater Manchester and throughout the North West has said they won’t hire new staff who haven’t had the Covid vaccine.

Barchester Healthcare said they wouldn’t hire anyone who has refused to have a coronavirus vaccine on non-medical grounds.

Barchester runs more than 200 care homes across the country, including Marple Dale Care Centre and Arbour Court Care Home in Stockport, and others throughout the North West.

Marple Dale Care Centre – Credit: Barchester Healthcare

The group said it was adopting this policy due to the vulnerability of its residents, with Chief Executive Dr Pete Calveley telling BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours that ‘it is our duty to do everything in our power to protect our residents and staff’.

He said: “Based on previous studies of other vaccines it’s likely that this vaccine will impact transmission and experts have outlined that this is a strong possibility.

“So we are being responsible in the care of our residents and patients in taking action now, just as we took action early in the pandemic on visiting and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

“We want to be ahead of the curve in protecting and delivering the best quality care.”

Arbour Court Care Home – Credit: Barchester Healthcare

According to Barchester 87% of residents and 68% of staff have been given at least one vaccine dose, as of January 28th, with roughly 6% of staff deciding to not have a jab.

Dr Calveley said they are ‘strongly encouraging’ the current staff to have the vaccine, and the group is holding meetings and individual chats for any employees with questions.

He added: “We are constantly reviewing uptake and considering our position for existing staff.

“Overall we are delighted so many are getting vaccinated. It reflects the duty of care we all feel towards our residents and patients.”

HC-One, which runs 36 care homes and adult day care centres in Greater Manchester, and 328 homes across the UK, said 55.7% of its staff had been offered the vaccine by January 27th, with 5.72% declining to have it.

However, a spokesman added that many colleagues who previously declined the vaccine are now changing their minds after seeing others in the home who’ve had a jab.

He added: “We are confident that by continuing to provide colleagues with the factual information, reassurance and encouragement they need, we can increase the uptake rate further.

“This is our current priority and focus, and once the vaccine programme has been completed we will consider whether a formal vaccine policy is required.

“Any future policy will need to carefully balance personal freedoms, and colleague and candidate medical privacy, with the need to prioritise resident safety.

“This is a conversation we’ll seek to have with our colleagues, Trade Union partners, and peers in the sector.”