Later this week sees the last date (16th Sept) that those working in the care sector can have their first Covid-19 vaccination dose to ensure they are fully vaccinated by the time new regulations come into force.
From 11th November 2021 anyone working in a Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered care home in England must have had two Covid-19 vaccines, unless they have a medical exemption.
Green: The writing is on the wall
Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, continues to challenge the Government for more support for the workforce crisis in the adult social care sector.
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says,
“Quite simply care providers are at breaking point.
“The writing is on the wall and without immediate help, as given to the NHS, the social care sector will crumple and not be there to support the NHS over the winter let alone in years to come.”
Last month Care England wrote to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care setting out the “very real workforce issues that persist in the sector and what practical steps could be taken to remedy them”.
Will volunteers be called forward?
In August the Isle of Wight council carried out a “resilience planning exercise”, asking volunteers whether they would be willing to offer their support at care homes.
This followed the Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Cllr Karl Love, urging former carers to return to the profession, saying, “our Island people need you all now”. He added,
“We are running out of care staff and facing a real emergency.”
Steps needed
Care England have encouraged the Government to take suggestions on board and implement them as soon as possible, including:
- Expanding the workforce by recruiting from abroad. The sector will need an additional 35,000 to 70,000 workers following the Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment. Reducing the qualifying level for overseas recruitment for social care staff (£25,600). Also, adding all care workers to the Shortage Occupation List and reducing the salary threshold for immigration
- Waiving the Immigration Skills Charge for care workers
- Fast-track system to grant visas under sponsorship licenses for people working in social care
- Bonuses/increase pay
- Direct support to help fund those suffering from PTSD
- The need for the continuation of Covid funds.
Martin Green continues,
“We have done an enormous amount of work on what could and should be done to help the adult social care workforce and hope that we can look to the Government for support.”
Image: Luke Jones under CC BY 2.0
