Latest News from Everycare
Following predictions the NHS would be hit by a loss of over 70,000 frontline staff and a fifth of the home care workforce would quit if the mandate was introduced in April, Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced yesterday evening to the House of Commons that the government is removing the legal requirement for all health and social care staff in England to be double jabbed against COVID-19.
The mandate for care home staff to have the jab came into force on 11 November and led to thousands of care workers being sacked.
Mr Javid said: “While vaccination remains our very best line of defence against COVID-19, I believe it is no longer proportionate to require Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment through statute.
“So, Madam Deputy Speaker, today I am announcing that we will launch a consultation on ending Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment in health and all social care settings.
“I have always been clear that our rules must remain proportionate and balanced – and of course, should we see another dramatic change in the virus, it would be responsible to review this policy again.”
Mr Javid explained that the vaccine mandate was put in place because of the severity of the Delta variant, but now with the Omicron variant being the dominant variant and less severe plus the success of the vaccine rollout, he says it is only right the policy was reviewed.
For the full story visit homecare.co.uk
A recent report has highlighted the fact that in large areas of the UK local authorities are failing to pay care providers enough to provide a service that can break even, putting huge pressure on their ability to recruit and retain staff.
It means, despite losing staff faster than they can be replaced, companies are unable to raise wages, says the Homecare Association.
Low wages and feeling undervalued are key factors leading care staff to quit, says the report.
Councils say they do not have enough money to pay companies more.
The Homecare Association, which represents some 2,340 care providers, calculates the true minimum cost of providing an hour of homecare in the UK is £21.43.
To read the full story visit the BBC website.
There will be “a tsunami” of people without the care they need this winter unless staff shortages are tackled, England’s care watchdog is warning.
Social care staff are “exhausted and depleted,” says Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief executive, Ian Trenholm.
In a report, the CQC urges immediate work to address the problem of rising numbers of unfilled care sector jobs.
On Thursday, the government announced an extra £162.5m to boost the adult social care workforce.
This is in addition to £5.4bn earmarked for social care over the next three years from the government’s health and social care levy, which already includes £500m to be spent on the workforce.
The CQC welcomes the money but has a warning: “It must be used to enable new ways of working that recognise the interdependency of all health and care settings, not just to prop up existing approaches and to plug demand in acute care.”
To view the full story visit the BBC Website
Shortages of care staff, who support older or disabled people in the community, are causing major problems for hospitals, the BBC has learned.
NHS chief executives say rising numbers of patients are stuck in hospitals in England due to a lack of care staff.
The situation is “dire”, according to NHS Providers, which represents health service trusts.
The government says extra funding and a regular recruitment drive will help boost the care workforce.
Care companies are facing acute problems in recruiting and retaining staff, according to a report which suggests there are now more unfilled care jobs than before the pandemic.
Shortages of care staff, who support older or disabled people in the community, are causing major problems for hospitals, the BBC has learned.
NHS chief executives say rising numbers of patients are stuck in hospitals in England due to a lack of care staff.
The situation is “dire”, according to NHS Providers, which represents health service trusts.
The government says extra funding and a regular recruitment drive will help boost the care workforce.
Care companies are facing acute problems in recruiting and retaining staff, according to a report which suggests there are now more unfilled care jobs than before the pandemic.
Jobs unfilled
The annual Skills for Care workforce report is based on data provided by a representative sample of employers of England’s 1.54 million care workers.
The researchers calculate that employers were failing to fill 8% of posts before the pandemic.
Figures obtained since suggest this had fallen to below 6% by June 2020 – but by August this year the trend had reversed with 8.2% of care sector roles unfilled.
This amounts to more than 100,000 posts with no-one to fill them, says Skills for Care.
To read the full story visit the BBC News website.
