The boss of a major UK care home operator has welcomed the news that the COVID vaccines could be made compulsory for care workers.
Today, the Telegraph revealed that details of a paper submitted to the COVID-19 Operations Cabinet sub-committee last week had been leaked, showing that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock have requested the change in law to make the vaccines mandatory for care staff working with the most vulnerable.
Commenting on the news, Tony Stein, Chief Executive of Healthcare Management Solutions, which operates around 80 homes across the UK, said: “Whilst I’m somewhat shocked at the news, it’s something that the whole sector has been discussing for some time. This is more than a practical issue - it goes to the heart of what we as healthcare professionals feel is necessary to protect our residents, their loved ones, the NHS and those that can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons.
“Whilst compulsory vaccination is unusual, it is not unprecedented. NHS staff are already required to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B if they are to work on NHS premises.
“Receiving a jab is not a big ask of people and, whilst we have already seen that the vast majority of our workforce have been very happy to receive the vaccination in the fight against this terrible disease, we welcome further moves to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those in our care.”
