Government U-turn on mandatory Covid 19 vaccination for Health and Social Care Workers – England
February 2022
After months of campaigning by GMB and other unions and organisations, on 31st January 2022 the Government in England announced that they would no longer be pursuing their policy mandating the health and social care workforce to have the Covid-19 vaccine.
GMB's position on mandatory vaccines has been consistent throughout – whilst we support the vaccine programme, we oppose legally enforced medical procedures as a condition of employment – it is heavy-handed and will deepen the staffing crisis in health and social care.
Unfortunately, this Government U-turn has come too late in the day for thousands of workers in our care homes who were subjected to this legislative change in November 2021. Many care workers chose to leave employment rather than face dismissal and we have already seen the same happening across wider social care and the health service.
This policy was just another reflection of Ministers failure to deal with the staffing crisis in social care, caused by low pay and poor treatment. Care workers voted with their feet and chose to work in supermarkets, hospitality and warehouses instead. A national plan is urgently needed for social care that awards a minimum of £15 per hour.
The Government have announced that they will now launch a consultation to consider whether they should revoke this legislation. More details will follow as it becomes available and we understand how this will impact workers in adult residential care homes and the wider care sector.
Any care worker who was set to face dismissal on 1st April 2022 as a result of not being vaccinated, should no longer be facing formal procedures at work.
NHS Trusts have been contacted and advised not to serve any notices of termination.
If you need any advice or support regarding this please contact your local GMB Representative.
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