No Jab? ‘Get Another Job’, Javid Tells Un-Vaxxed Care Home Workers

Healthcare union UNISON warned in September that the government's "no jab, no job" policy for social care would cause a staffing crisis for a sector already "on its knees", with more than 100,000 vacancies across the country already.

British Health Secretary Sajid Javid has told care home workers who decline the COVID-19 jab to leave the health sector.

The Cabinet minister told BBC Radio One’s Today programme on Saturday morning that he rejected calls by healthcare union UNISON to "pause" an 11 November deadline for all staff

"If you work in a care home you are working with some of the most vulnerable people in our country and if you cannot be bothered to go and get vaccinated, then get out and go and get another job”, Javid said.

"If you want to look after them, if you want to cook for them, if you want to feed them, if you want to put them to bed, then you should get vaccinated", he added. "If you are not going to get vaccinated then why are you working in care?"

UNISON warned in mid-September that the deadline was too soon for all care home staff to get vaccinated, arguing the policy would prompt a staff crisis. The union pointed out that there were already 112,000 vacancies in the care sector, and the government itself estimated between 40,000 and 70,000 staff would be lost to the "no jab, no job" policy.

"The government has persisted with a heavy-handed approach despite warnings from care employers of the dire consequences", UNISON General Secretary Christina McAnea said at the time. “This move is damaging a sector already on its knees and undermining trust in the vaccine".

Uptake of vaccines among care workers, who were among the 15 million top-priority recipients, was low — with 19 percent of domiciliary home staff and 25 percent in other social care settings still unvaccinated as of August.

The latest Public Health England data released on Friday afternoon showed that nearly 90 per cent of over-16s had been vaccinated against coronavirus, with 82.5 per cent having their second dose.

Vaccination rates also vary widely by ethnicity, being highest among whites and lowest among black people — especially those of African origin.

Just over 34,000 people received the first dose on Thursday, with the same number having their booster — a far cry from the peak of over half a million jabs administered on some days in April and May.