ONE in 14 care home staff in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have not received a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine, figures reveal.

Care home staff will be required by law to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to work, from November 11.

But charity Care England says many of the care providers it represents are concerned about a possible “exodus” of workers across the country this winter, while care workers' union Unison is calling for the jab deadline to be postponed.

NHS England data shows 334 of the 4,625 people working in older adult care homes in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole were yet to receive a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine on October 24 – the latest available data.

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It means seven per cent of care home staff in the area face losing their jobs this week.

A further 523 workers who had received their first dose were still awaiting their second jab as of October 24, the figures show, just over a fortnight before the deadline.

Care staff across England were told to have their first jab by September 16 to meet the November 11 cut-off.

But nationally, around 25,600 people working in older adult care homes, either employed by a provider or agency staff, were unvaccinated by October 24 – 6 per cent of the workforce.

Some 51,000 were yet to get their second dose of the vaccine.

Professor Martin Green, Care England's CEO, said: "The adult social care sector cannot support the NHS this winter unless it is adequately resourced, staffed and recognised.

"We urge the Government to listen – in Care England’s recent workforce survey, 96 per cent of members have reported that a workforce shortage is their primary concern in winter."

Different figures from charity Skills for Care, estimate that across England 105,000 jobs were vacant on any one day in the adult social care sector in 2020-21 – a vacancy rate of around 6.8 per cent.

This was higher than the level recorded in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole – 5.9 per cent.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our message is clear: vaccines save lives and while staff and residents in care homes have been prioritised and the majority are now vaccinated, it is our responsibility to do everything we can to protect vulnerable people.

“We are working closely with local authorities and care home providers to ensure there will always be enough staff with the right skills to deliver high quality care.”