24-hour nurses: A quarter could be eliminated
Coronavirus
With the introduction of compulsory vaccination, a good quarter of the carers in 24-hour care could be eliminated. Because these are not vaccinated, according to the industry representative. Especially for new recordings “it doesn’t look so good at the moment”.
Nursing staff are in short supply – now that vaccination is mandatory in February, things could get even tighter in many places, says Günter Lindenthaler, Salzburg industry spokesman for 24-hour care, who himself runs a care agency. Because of the 1,650 supervisors in Salzburg, who mainly come from Slovakia and Romania, around 500 were not vaccinated in December. In the last few weeks, the willingness to vaccinate has increased among them – but only slightly.
Lindenthaler therefore expects staff losses of a good quarter: “We assume that the agencies will now go and cover the existing families as best as possible. This means that if care is lost here, it will be replaced by vaccinated caregivers. It’s not looking so good with new recordings at the moment, because everyone is still waiting a bit.”
“It is the families who suffer”
One thing is clear, Lindenthaler knows: “Of course, those who suffer are the families who have patients or mothers or fathers who need to be cared for.”
In addition, it can be assumed that 24-hour care will inevitably become more expensive as a result of the vaccination, adds Lindenthaler. This is already becoming apparent: “Carers who are vaccinated know that they are sought-after staff and of course currently have a significant advantage over the unvaccinated. Of course, the price will also rise as a result.” In the industry, the caregivers are still being sought to convince them of the vaccination through personal discussions, adds industry spokesman Lindenthaler. The families being cared for are often involved here.