Throughout this period, but especially at the final deadline, we observed falls both in the percentage of workers in elderly care homes who were unvaccinated and in total staffing numbers. This allowed us to track the evolving effect of the mandate from the policy announcement to the final deadline in November. We used weekly data at the local authority level on the percentage of workers in elderly care homes who were unvaccinated, total numbers of care home staff and COVID-related deaths among residents. Despite trade union opposition, care workers were required by law to have had two vaccinations by November 11.Įxemptions from the mandate were provided for a limited number of medical reasons but not for conscientious objection to vaccination or for immunity from a previous COVID infection. The policy making COVID vaccination compulsory for care home staff was announced in June 2021.
The COVID pandemic risks lasting damage to adult social care We also didn’t find any evidence that the mandate reduced COVID deaths among residents. We found that the mandate was successful in reducing the percentage of unvaccinated workers, but this came at the cost of a reduction in net staffing in the sector. In our new study, we sought to estimate the effects of the 2021 COVID vaccine mandate for staff in elderly care homes in England. At the same time, if a mandate results in care workers being sacked or choosing to leave their job, it may add to staffing difficulties in an already stretched sector. The issues are particularly sensitive in the case of elderly care homes given the high vulnerability of residents to severe COVID. On this basis, vaccine mandates might be justified in some circumstances, even if such a policy requires substantial evidence that expected public health benefits will exceed costs. Others argue that ethical objections need to be weighed against benefits such as potential reductions in deaths among the vulnerable. For some people, considerations such as the right to refuse healthcare and objections to the use of coercion mean vaccination as a condition of employment can never be justified, irrespective of how effective the policy might be. Much of the debate on vaccine mandates has rightly focused on ethical issues. Mandatory COVID vaccination as a condition of employment has been a commonly used – though controversial – policy around the world during the pandemic.
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