Care UK engages one of country’s top virus experts to help colleagues hear the truth about Covid vac

Company news

Apr 21, 2021

With the vast majority of team members in homes already having had at least  the first dose of their Covid-19 vaccination, Care UK enlisted support from a very special expert to give colleagues impartial information to help those few still undecided to make up their minds.

Nicola Stonehouse is Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Leeds. Her work covers aspects of the lifecycle of viruses and the development of novel vaccines and Care UK invited her to run three live webinars exclusively for Care UK colleagues.

The sessions were fully interactive with team members invited to ask questions.  Topics covered included impact on fertility, whether it is compatible with cultural beliefs and how the speed that it was developed gave time for comprehensive testing to take place likely to be high on the list.

HR Director at Care UK, Leah Queripel, said: “We believe that it is the professional duty of our teams to protect those who they look after, and the vaccination is key to doing just that. It will protect themselves, their families, residents, and fellow colleagues.  Over the past few weeks, we have focused on providing people with information on any concerns they may have so that they can make an informed choice but we know the myths are still circulating on social media.

“The webinars with Professor Stonehouse are an opportunity for our colleagues to hear the facts about the development of the vaccines from an independent expert and talk through any concerns they may have. Over the past year, Professor Stonehouse has undertaken hundreds of media interviews, explaining features of COVID-19 testing and vaccine development, and I think this respected public profile will help colleagues feel confident that they are getting the facts.”

Anyone applying for a new role with Care UK is told right from the outset that they will be required to have the vaccination before starting work in a home.