Shropshire lost 45 care home employees on the day the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for the sector came into effect in England.

Figures from Shropshire Council reveal that 99 per cent of the county’s care home workforce was double-jabbed by November 11, meaning the number of staff forced to leave that day was among the lowest in the West Midlands.

The authority has now praised the efforts of social care workers for the high take-up the vaccine even before the new legislation was announced, which has helped to avert a potentially disastrous staffing shortage.

A council spokesperson said: “Throughout the pandemic, Shropshire Council have been working closely with care providers to support them to be compliant with the Covid-19 vaccination for care home workers legislation.

“We have worked stridently to support every individual safely through all covert protective measures such as vaccination, infection prevention and control and robust testing practises.

“We have been doing an enormous amount of work with our workforce and care homes to make sure that they are compliant by the legislation which came into effect from 11 November 2021.

“It is a credit to Shropshire that the care sector and in particular the care home sector which had to become compliant with the new legislation had already seen a high uptake of the vaccination.”

The council said homes were “well prepared” for the vacancies left by the staff who had to cease working on the day the legislation came into force, meaning “no services were disrupted as a result”.

Preparations are now underway to support the domiciliary care sector, which will see vaccines become mandatory for all workers next spring, along with the NHS.

Unison has warned that the sector faces “collapse” if the plans are not dropped – with the government itself predicting around 40,000 care workers could be lost from the sector when the rules come into force.

The council spokesperson said: “The council continue to work with all partners to meet the new mandatory vaccinations for the health and care sector coming in next spring. The needs of individuals, and support to the care market remains our focus.

“A key area now is supporting the recruitment and retention of care workers.

“Our recently launched ‘Proud to Care’ campaign encourages people across Shropshire to see what great career prospects, and opportunities for progression there is in social care across the county.

“We would encourage anyone interested in a career in the care sector to please look at the opportunities if offers in such a rewarding career.”