Care homes in Gwynedd should be allowed to refuse to hire staff who have not had a Covid jab unless they have a legitimate medical reason, social care leaders have said.

Care Forum Wales, which represents nearly 500 independent providers, says it’s vitally important to protect vulnerable residents who are particularly at risk because they are mostly elderly and frail with serious underlying health conditions.

Since 1 March last year there have been 1,709 care home resident deaths in Wales with suspected or confirmed Covid-19.

According to chair Mario Kreft MBE, care homes were duty bound to do everything in their power to protect their residents and staff.

It’s believed around 20 per cent of care home staff in Wales have not had a jab yet and Mr Kreft said care home owners and managers were rightly encouraging existing staff to have it.

“It only takes one person to bring one of the new strains of the virus into vulnerable people,” he said.

“We know the more contagious Kent variant is now the dominant strain in Wales and there is also some evidence that it is more lethal. We are also having to contend with the dangers posed by other strains.

“I think everybody who works in social care should, unless there’s a very good reason otherwise, get the jab and importantly be ready for a culture where we might have to have this each year for some years to come.

“It is clearly sensible that care homes should be allowed to refuse to recruit anybody who has not been vaccinated.

“It is clear that, quite understandably, families of residents will want assurances staff looking after their loved ones are vaccinated so they are less likely to pass on the infection.”