HC-One consults with Colleagues and GMB on making the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment

HC-One is entering into consultation with its Colleagues and recognised trade union partner, the GMB, on making the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment for all of its Colleagues.

This follows the UK Government’s announcement last month that it would be legislating to require care home staff in England to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

James Tugendhat, Chief Executive Officer of HC-One, said:

“We welcomed the UK Government’s announcement that it would be legislating to require care home staff in England to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and we are going further by making having the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment for all HC-One Colleagues, including our Colleagues in Scotland and Wales, and all of our Support Teams.

“Our purpose is to be The Kind Care Company, supporting those in our care to lead their best life. We believe that safety is at the heart of this. We want our homes to be safe and open to visiting. We want the people we care for and their families to be able to come together. We can’t miss an opportunity to make this happen, which is why we are moving to make the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment at HC-One.
“This is the responsible step for us to take to protect the people we care for, as well as our Colleagues. The evidence is clearly emerging that vaccination cuts transmission and substantially reduces the risk of hospitalisation. Together with regular testing, and robust infection prevention and control measures, vaccinations will help us to operate our homes in a way that is as close to normal as possible in the current circumstances.
“Throughout the vaccine roll out to date, we have been encouraging and supporting Colleagues to get their vaccine. Our move to make the COVID-19 vaccine a condition of employment follows months of providing Colleagues with factual information and reassurance about the vaccine, and we are pleased that almost 90% of our Colleagues have been vaccinated so far. For those who are yet to be vaccinated, we will be working closely with them as we move forward.

“We look forward to our consultation with all Colleagues and GMB partners over the coming months.”
The consultation process will run from mid-July through to early September.