A major care home company, which has one site in Milton Keynes, will not take on new staff who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.
Barchester Healthcare runs Ashby House Care Home in Eaglestone, alongside hundreds of other care homes across the UK.
The company has said it will be adopting a new vaccination policy to protect its vulnerable residents.
It means that all new staff members who get a job within the group, and at their care home in Milton Keynes, must have the COVID-19 vaccine and cannot refuse the injection on non-medical grounds.
In a statement on its website, Barchester Healthcare says that the majority of its residents and patients have been vaccinated.
It adds: "Those who aren’t yet vaccinated is largely due to the need to wait 28 days after being COVID-19 positive, but we are confident that all of our residents and patients who can be, will be vaccinated, and we will be ensuring that all new residents and patients will also be vaccinated before moving in.
"With regard to our staff, we are doing all we can to reassure and encourage those who are a little more reticent to have the vaccination, and we are also ensuring that all new staff must have the vaccination (if they medically can) before starting work looking after our vulnerable residents and patients who are in our care."
It has also been reported that the company is considering the future of current staff who refuse the vaccine due to the patient-facing nature of the roles.
Barchester Healthcare has communicated this with its staff but has stated that no final decision has been made.
A spokesperson for Barchester Healthcare said: “Our long-term ambition is that all patient and resident-facing staff will have the Covid-19 vaccine in order to protect both themselves and the vulnerable residents and patients in our care, and we have very recently communicated to our teams that one option under consideration is that staff who refuse the vaccine on non-medical grounds will, by reason of their own decision, make themselves unavailable for work.
“This is part of an ongoing dialogue we are having, we are constantly reviewing this as more information is available, and are very aware of concerns around possible discrimination which is in no way our intention.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure fairness whilst also delivering on our duty to protect our residents, patients and staff.”
This comes as a Government minister has suggested that companies may be able to draw up contracts requiring new staff to get a coronavirus jab.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said it was unlikely bosses could legally require workers to receive a jab under existing agreements, but indicated it could be tested in court.
Downing Street has said it would be "discriminatory" to force someone to have a coronavirus vaccine in order to keep their job.
But Mr Buckland told ITV's Peston: "I think it would depend very much on the terms of employment and the particular contract.
"Generally speaking I'd be surprised if there were contracts of employment existing now that did make that approach lawful. I think frankly the issue would have to be tested.
"I can see that in particular work environments the desirability of having a vaccine is going to be higher than in others."
Asked if it is up to employers to test the system if they do not want people who decline vaccines working for them, Mr Buckland said: "I think that has to be the case because we're dealing with existing terms of contracts of employment, thousands of existing contracts."
The prime minister's official spokesman has said: "Taking a vaccine is not mandatory and it would be discriminatory to force somebody to take one."
