The Government has confirmed that vaccination as a condition of deployment for homecare workers will be revoked following a recent consultation.
Welcoming the news, Homecare Association's CEO Dr Jane Townson said:
“We are very pleased the Government is reversing the VCOD regulations and therefore preventing further careworkers from leaving the workforce.
Since vaccination as a condition of deployment was first announced in September, we have lost nearly 20,000 homecare workers* who provide vital care and support to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. This decision will prevent further reduction in the workforce, at a time when recruitment and retention has never been more challenging.
We have always strongly supported vaccination against COVID-19, as it helps protect the recipient from severe illness and death. However, we believe persuasion is more effective and proportionate than compulsion, in encouraging uptake amongst the remaining workers with a genuine fear about vaccination. We also need to balance the mitigated risk of infection with the very real risk of even more older and disabled people going without care due to workforce shortages.
Thank you to all our provider members who replied to the consultation. We continue to call on the government to listen to and act on evidence provided by experts, including those receiving care and those working in the sector, on all areas of social care policy, so we can work together to deliver the aspiration to put people at the heart of care.”
***ENDS***
Notes to editors
- *Read our full consultation response here.
- The Homecare Association is the UK’s membership body for homecare providers, with over 2,340 members nationally. The Homecare Association’s mission is to work together to ensure that homecare is valued, so that all of us can live well at home and flourish within our communities. The Homecare Association takes the lead in shaping homecare, in collaboration with partners across the care sector, and provides hands-on support and practical tools for its members. As a member-led professional association, the Homecare Association's members agree to abide by the Association's Code of Practice.
- For further information please contact: Homecare Association Ltd, Sutton Business Centre, Restmor Way, Wallington, SM6 7AH. Telephone: 020 8661 8165. Mobile: 07393 012 113. www.homecareassociation.org.uk
