Care home bosses in Norfolk have given their backing to calls for compulsory vaccinations for staff, following the launch of a government consultation.
Health secretary Matt Hancock set out the latest in the country's progress against the virus on Monday, including 10m second doses, and plans to discuss whether care homes should only deploy staff who have had a Covid vaccination, unless medically exempt.
The current vaccination rate amongst care home staff is below 80pc in more than half of all local authority areas.
Mr Hancock said: ""We all know that older people living in care homes are at the greatest risk from this virus and I believe we have a duty of care to protect the most vulnerable, so we'll consider all options to keep people safe."
Kingsley Healthcare's chief executive Daya Thayan backed the idea of compulsory staff vaccinations.
The provider has 32 homes in the UK and has seen 98.2pc of its 2,000 staff vaccinated.
Mr Thayan said: “We will be writing to the prime minister to say we totally endorse the idea of making vaccination compulsory for people working in a care home, unless they have a valid medical exemption.
“We are pleased that the government has realised that this area should not be left to different interpretations. Our clients are vulnerable people and need to be protected."
Raj Sehgal, managing director of ArmesCare, said in his personal view any frontline worker should be "right at the top" of the priority list for the vaccine.
He has previously written to staff across his four west Norfolk care homes to encourage them to take up the vaccine, with only six out of 120 staff not vaccinated.
Mr Sehgal said: "Dealing with this pandemic, it is basically warfare. In terms of we have to take extreme measures to combat what lies ahead of us.
"We have to do all we can to encourage and nurture staff to get the right information and make sure they take the opportunity to protect themselves, their colleagues, loved ones and the people they care for."
He said the government would need to clarify and mandate how this would be enforced for new and current staff and that he felt the care sector was being singled out, when other professions could be at the same or more risk.
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