Following the announcement that it will be compulsory for all care home staff in England have the Covid vaccine, Mike Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Shaw, was interviewed live on BBC radio to share that Shaw welcomes the announcement.
Workers will have 16 weeks to get both jabs from the time regulations are approved by Parliament. If they do not, they face being redeployed away from front-line care or potentially losing their job.
Mike spoke about Shaw welcoming the move even though there are varying opinions on the matter and since the vaccine has been rolled out it has made a huge difference to the outbreak and cases across the group.
Mike said: “I would like to hope all of our staff react positively. We have been trying to educate our employees and talk to them about the benefits of the jab. Those conversations haven’t just started, they’ve been going on for five or six months so I would like to think that this is another positive factor to convince those who have been slightly hesitant to get the vaccine.”
When asked if he thought if it would put people off working in the health care sector, Mike reasoned that: “People work in this profession because they are drawn to it, so I would like to think our employees understand the reason for getting the vaccine as we look after the most vulnerable and that won’t be a barrier to them taking up employment in the sector.”