The Health Secretary's decision to u-turn on vaccine mandates for social care staff has come "too late" for thousands working in the care sector, the CEO of Access Social Care has told GB News.
The exodus of "40,000" staff from the industry has created a "real risk" that people with "social care needs" will die, said Kari Gerstheimer.
Kari Gerstheimer - CEO of Access Social Care
GB News
"Families are on their knees... many of them giving 24/7 care, which is just not sustainable", Ms Gerstheimer said.
"...we work with social care providers that are struggling to recruit and retain staff... we are in a really really difficult situation here and my plea to Government would be: please work with the sector to make sure that we have a sustainable model for recruitment and retention [of staff]."
Ms Gerstheimer told GB News: "Access Social Care we would absolutely welcome the u-turn [on Covid vaccine mandates] but for many social care staff and social care organisations, the decision has come too late.
"The National Care Association estimates that 40,000 staff have been lost from the sector.
She went on: "We are in the middle of a pandemic and things are difficult but I think what the sector is frustrated by is perhaps we haven't felt listened to.
"...it's very much feeling like the social care sector has been used as a trial run for the NHS.
"We know we've lost staff to the NHS.
The charity's CEO told GB News that the industry is "losing staff because of pay, we're losing staff because they're going to work in supermarkets or in delivery companies, and we're losing staff that have been working in the sector for decades.
"...most of us would agree that it's really important that our loved ones are cared for by somebody that's been vaccinated.
"But if we have to choose between someone that's not been vaccinated or no care at all, I think we'd all be in agreement [that we would choose a carer that's not been vaccinated].
She added that "the reduction in central government funding... has meant that poorer areas where there is greater need have got less money to spend on social care and that's given rise to a postcode lottery.
"... sadly this is a Levelling Up issue.
"I would urge the Government to look at this through a Levelling Up lens."
Sajid Javid announced to the House of Commons on Monday that he felt it was "no longer proportionate" to require vaccination as a condition of deployment of NHS and social care staff under law.
He went on that it was right to review the policy, given that the Delta Covid strain which was dominant at the time the policy was announced, has now been replaced by the less severe Omicron..