Holiday homes for disabled people face closure

Holiday homes for disabled people face closure due to England’s vaccines mandate.

Sadly, various holiday homes for disabled people in England are facing closure due to a government policy that will see all staff having to be fully vaccinated against COVID.

The charity Revitalise has three specialist homes in England, that each year allow nearly 5000 disabled people to enjoy a holiday. The chief executive for Revitalise, Janine Tregelles, believes that the government’s November deadline for care home staff to be vaccinated is putting the charity at risk.

“For Revitalise and for the care sector, the mandatory vaccination policy will, if implemented, have devastating consequences,” said Tregelles.

Tregelles explained how various staff have decided not be vaccinated that others have threatened to resign if other colleagues are made redundant due to the new policy.

Tregelles hit back at the government’s policy that only applies to care home staff. At the moment the policy does not apply to residents or visitors or other NHS workers who often come into contact with vulnerable patients.

Tregelles commented that: “The welfare of our guests is our foremost priority and concern so there is a great irony that this new law, ostensibly designed to protect them, will only end up doing them harm.”

She added: “We need our leaders to work with us to ease, not worsen, the staffing crisis, to seek more balanced ways to encourage vaccination take up and to consider a range of different measures to ensure that care workers and the cared for, are looked after safely,”

“Mandatory vaccination is not the answer.”

According to the Department of Health and Social Care: “Over 90% of care home staff have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine ahead of the 11 November deadline and we encourage even more staff to get vaccinated to protect their colleagues and those they care for.

They added: “Temporarily, those who meet the criteria for a medical exemption will be able to self-certify until we introduce a new system. This will ensure those with medical exemptions can continue working in care homes.”

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