Mandatory Vaccines – How will they affect the NHS & care sector

Mandatory COVID vaccines. They are a hot topic of conversation for everyone right now, but whatever your stance, if you work in the healthcare sector it is going to cause an impact.

The government has now mandated that all health and care staff in England must be fully vaccinated. This means that by April 1st 2022, all NHS England staff must all be double vaccinated. Currently, care home staff are already under the vaccine mandate as all care home staff in England had to be double vaccinated by November 11th 2021.

However, there are some exemptions to this rule: those who are under 18, those who are clinically exempt, those currently taking part in a COVID trial and those whose job roles do not involve face to face contact in providing care. Should there be further exemptions?

So why are we talking about this?

As with anything the government mandates there has been some push back, with some organisations such as UNISON thinking that is could cause more harm than good. One of the main concerns surrounding the mandate is that it may cause a high amount of NHS and care employees to leave their jobs, resulting in even more pressure on these services.

Currently, with data published by NHS England, 93% of staff have had their first dose of the covid vaccine, with 90% of staff being fully vaccinated. Even though this would seem to most as a high percentage, even if a small number of NHS or care staff were to resign it would have a detrimental impact on these services.

According to recent reports, there are an estimated 100,000 NHS and care vacancies currently advertised in England. This number could increase even further with the vaccine mandates being introduced. Since the vaccine mandate that was introduced for care home staff in England, an estimated 4000 carers who have already lost their jobs. This is an enormous pressure that the NHS and care sector does not need!

This is where CBS can help!

With the risk of staff shortages that could follow from the vaccine mandate, we understand that vacancies within the NHS and the care sector will need to be filled as quickly as possible. These sectors have always needed additional workforces, and they need them now more than ever.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we here at CBS have provided a ‘priority processing of DBS applications’ service. This fast-track service helps get the correct people into the correct positions at a rapid rate.

We understand that there is an immense need to recruit and deploy workers in the NHS and care sector. We also understand that recruitment in these areas must be done correctly to guarantee the protection and safeguarding of the most vulnerable. Our fast-track service delivers this, allowing potential employees to be checked and approved in just 24 hours, meaning they are ready to serve on the frontline.

To find out more about our ‘priority of processing of DBS applications’, click here! Or if you would rather speak to us directly about this service, contact us today on01443 799900or email us atinfo@cbscreening.co.uk; we are happy to help in any way we can.