ALL frontline social care workers in Craven are being urged to get vaccinated in the fight against coronavirus.

Although the take-up rate of vaccination among care workers across North Yorkshire as a whole is better than the national average of 66 per cent, county council leaders want all frontline care staff to be vaccinated. This includes those working for private providers, day services, domiciliary care and as personal assistants. .

The county council has welcomed the Government’s decision to open up the national vaccine booking system to frontline social care staff, and is now appealing to all social care staff across all providers and agencies to take up the offer of a vaccine and use the booking service.

Rachel Bowes, assistant director for care and support said: “We have been working hard to support frontline social care workers across the county to access the Covid 19 vaccine roll-out and we are making good progress, but we need all staff to be vaccinated.

“If you are a frontline social care worker and you have not yet had your vaccine or do not have an appointment to be vaccinated I would urge you to arrange a vaccination booking as soon as possible.

“Frontline care workers are a priority group for vaccination and it is essential we do all we can to keep ourselves, our families, and those we care for as safe as possible and getting vaccinated is one way of doing that.”

Councillor Michael Harrison, Executive member for adult services and health Integration said: “We know that social care staff really care about the people they look after. So our message is loud and clear. If staff want to stop the potential transmission of Covid-19 to the vulnerable people they look after, they need to take up immunisation. It could not be more important that when people are offered a vaccine they take it up.”

The national vaccine booking system can be accessed by front line social care staff at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/