The government’s mandatory Covid jab policy could lead to the loss of around 40,000 staff with a replacement cost of £2,500 each to English care homes, according to a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) impact assessment.
The study estimates seven per cent of the around 570,000 staff working in Care Quality Commission-registered care homes may refuse to take up the vaccine before the end of the ‘no jab, no job’ grace period.
From October, anyone working in a CQC-registered care home in England must have had two Covid-19 vaccines unless they have a medical exemption.
The DHSC estimates the loss of 40,000 English care home staff would hit the sector with a one-off cost of £100m.
“This may place a temporary increased strain on those workers already vaccinated, until replacement workers are recruited,” the report states.
“There is also an unquantified risk that some care homes who have higher levels of vaccine hesitancy amongst staff will find it more difficult or costly to replace workers.”
The policy was backed by MPs in a Commons vote that passed by 319 votes to 246.
The regulations will also apply to auxiliary care workers, tradesmen, hairdressers and others who need to enter a home to do other work unless they have a medical exemption.
