Hundreds of carers across the West of England face losing their jobs next month because they have refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

England’s care workers must have had their first dose by September 16th and be double-jabbed by November 11th to continue working in the care sector.

Figures from the NHS capacity tracker – the national system for care homes reporting to the Department of Health and Social Care on the uptake of vaccinations – showed that as of September 16th, 1,212 (9.7 per cent) of the West of England’s 12,494 carers had not received their first dose.

Some will be medically exempt from the “no jab, no job” policy, but Councillor Mike Bell, North Somerset Council’s executive member for health, warned it could result in an exodus of staff from the “overburdened and underfunded” care sector.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said unvaccinated carers should “get another job”, and he also wants jabs to be mandatory in the NHS to protect the most vulnerable from the virus.

Cllr Bell said: “We have arrived at this situation because the care sector has been overlooked for so long.

“It has long been a poor relation to the NHS in Government eyes, something reinforced in the latest health and social care reforms.

“I want to see the most vulnerable protected, but I fear that the ‘no jab, no job’ measures will do more harm than good and that we risk an exodus of staff from an already overburdened, overstretched and underfunded sector.”

As of September 16th, 254 of the 3,287 members of staff (7.7 per cent) in North Somerset’s care homes were yet to receive a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.

A North Somerset Council spokesperson said: “We’re pleased with the vaccination uptake for this sector in North Somerset.

“We know that vaccines are safe, effective, and save lives, and for those on the frontline – whether working in social care or in the NHS – vaccination is critical.”

Stephen Sumner, LDRS