Care Home Managers and Leaders are urging the Government for help to tackle the impending social care crisis.

Due to the introduction of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination law, it is feared up to a fifth of the Care Home workforce could lose their jobs and the Outstanding Managers Network, which represent 5,700 Care Home Managers and leaders believe these staffing shortages will pose a major risk to the safety and sustainability of services.

From 11 November, everyone who works in a care home in England will be required to have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in order to be eligible to work and care providers are estimating between 10-20% of staff may be dismissed as a direct result of the new law. 

In an open letter sent on 18 August, members of the Outstanding Manager Network have urged MPs and Jeremy Hunt, the chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, to demand an enquiry into the ongoing care crisis following 'eighteen incredibly difficult months' for the care sector.

'Genuinely concerned about the safety and sustainability of services'

The care managers' letter stated: 'Many of us are finding our positions extremely challenging and are genuinely concerned about the safety and sustainability of services.

'There is an acute recruitment crisis, which is harder than it has ever been before. This is shortly about to be made significantly worse with the mandatory vaccines, many care providers are estimating between 10-20% of staff being dismissed as a result.

'There is no support from the Government or the regulators to help providers to navigate this.’

“You will also know, following the workforce burnout and resilience enquiry, that the people working in social care are exhausted and highly stressed. This extends to managers, who we are now seeing leaving the sector in large numbers. Due to the lack of suitable staff, existing workers are having to pick up many additional hours and this has not eased with the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions. There has been no relaxing for social care, and it is untenable,” the letter states.