All workers in care homes must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from October 2021

DHSC says that new regulations will cover employees and volunteers within the care home, as well as those coming in to carry out other work, unless they have a medical exemption

All workers in care homes will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from October 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.

Following a 5-week consultation on making vaccination a condition of deployment in care homes - which received more than 13,500 responses - the DHSC has published its response and announced that it will be bringing forward regulations which will require that, from October 2021 (subject to Parliamentary approval and a subsequent 16-week grace period), anyone working in a care home in England registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) must have 2 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine unless they have a medical exemption. The DHSC adds that this will apply to all workers employed by the care home, its provider, or via an agency, and also to volunteers and those coming into the care home to do other work such as healthcare workers, tradespeople, hairdressers, beauticians, and Care Quality Commission inspectors.

NB - the DHSC observes that the responses to the consultation made a case for extending the policy beyond care homes to other settings where people vulnerable to Covid-19 receive care, such as domiciliary care and wider healthcare settings, and says that it will therefore launch a further public consultation on the issue in due course.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said - 

'Vaccines save lives and while staff and residents in care homes have been prioritised and the majority are now vaccinated we need to do everything we can to keep reducing the risk.

Through our consultation we have listened to the experiences and concerns of providers and people living and working in care homes to help shape our approach.

We have a responsibility to do all we can to safeguard those receiving care including in the NHS and so will be consulting further on whether to extend to other health and social care workers.

This is the right thing to do and a vitally important step to continue protecting care homes now and in the future. I’d urge anyone working in care homes to get their jab as soon as possible.

There will be exceptions for visiting family and friends, under 18s, emergency services and people undertaking urgent maintenance work.'

The decision to make Covid-19 vaccinations compluslory for all workers in care homes was also confirmed in a written statement to parliament from Minister for Care Helen Whateley.

For more information, see Everyone working in care homes to be fully vaccinated under new law to protect residents from gov.uk