Closed petition Do not make COVID vaccination a requirement for health and social care workers

The Government should not make vaccination against COVID a requirement for frontline health and social care workers. We believe this is contrary to basic human rights to decide whether to receive medical treatment based on personal choice and conscience.

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Many people do not want the vaccine for a number of reasons. Also the manufacturers are indemnified from liability for any side effects arising from the taking the vaccine. It is unacceptable that health and social care workers are being required to be vaccinated in order to do their jobs, when they would not even be entitled to compensation from the manufacturers for any adverse effects.

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Government responded

This response was given on 14 February 2022

On 31 Jan 2022, Government announced it intends to revoke vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings regulations, subject to consultation and Parliamentary process.

Read the response in full

On 31 January 2022, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced the government’s intention to revoke the regulations making vaccination a condition of deployment in health and social care settings. This is subject to consultation and Parliamentary process.

You can view his statement here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oral-statement-on-vaccines-as-a-condition-of-deployment and accompanying press notice: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/consultation-on-removing-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-for-health-and-social-care-staff

The associated consultation response is now live, accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revoking-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-across-all-health-and-social-care. This will run until 11:45pm on 16 February 2022.

Department for Health and Social Care

COVID-19 vaccination requirements introduced for health and social care workers

On Tuesday 14 December the House of Commons debated and approved new requirements for health and social care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Read what MPs said during the debate: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-12-14/debates/8034393B-C568-4DE6-8695-1D63F957537E/PublicHealth

You can also watch the debate on Parliamentlive.tv: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/61329c5b-ac88-4243-bbc9-35f8a142b5c7?in=13:46:46

What do the new rules mean?

The new rules apply to health and social care workers who have face-to-face contact with service users, including volunteers. These people will need to provide evidence that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to be deployed to their workplace.

The new requirements are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2021, which you can read here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2021/9780348228861

The Government has introduced these rules following a consultation with the public. The consultation asked people for their views on making vaccination a condition of deployment in the health and wider social care sector. You can read about the outcome of this consultation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/making-vaccination-a-condition-of-deployment-in-the-health-and-wider-social-care-sector/making-vaccination-a-condition-of-deployment-in-the-health-and-wider-social-care-sector#annex-a

Government plans to remove covid-19 vaccination requirements for health and social care staff

Government plans to remove covid-19 vaccination requirements for health and social care staff

On Monday 31 January, the Secretary of State for Health Sajid Javid MP announced plans to revoke laws which required frontline health and social care staff to be vaccinated against covid-19. Before the Government revokes these laws, it will consult with the public and seek approval from Parliament.

Read the Secretary of State's statement and question from MPs: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022-01-31/debates/C23A5791-2CC9-44FA-B9D6-BC9355C014C1/VaccinationConditionOfDeployment

In his statement the Secretary of State said the Government would launch a consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and all social care settings.

Find out more about the Government's plans: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/consultation-on-removing-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-for-health-and-social-care-staff

We'll let you know when the Government launches its consultation.

What are ministerial statements?

Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House, often at short notice. After making a statement the Minister responds to questions on its topic from MPs.

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Share your views on removing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health and social care staff

On 9 February, the Government launched a public consultation on its proposal to no longer require COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings.

The Government has said that, given the changes in clinical evidence, they are revisiting the balance of risks and benefits that guided their original decisions to make coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination a condition of deployment.

Find out more about the consultation, and share your views: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revoking-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-across-all-health-and-social-care

The consultation is open until 11.45pm on Wednesday 16 February 2022.

Who is running the consultation?

The consultation is being run by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). DHSC is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, and for certain health matters not devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, or Welsh Government.

Find out more about the DHSC: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

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Government confirms removal of COVID-19 vaccination requirements for health and social care staff

The Government has published its response to last month's public consultation on revoking COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care settings. It has confirmed it will be removing the requirement for health and social care staff to be vaccinated as a condition of deployment.

Read a statement by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid MP: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-03-01/HCWS654

Read the consultation response in full: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revoking-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-across-all-health-and-social-care/outcome/revoking-vaccination-as-a-condition-of-deployment-across-all-health-and-social-care-consultation-response

The revocation of the requirements will come into force on 15 March, and will include the requirements already in place in care homes as well as those which were due to apply in health and wider social care settings from 1 April.

Who ran the consultation on COVID-19 vaccination requirements?

The consultation was run by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). DHSC is responsible for government policy on health and adult social care matters in England, and for certain health matters not devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government, or Welsh Government.

Find out more about the DHSC: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health-and-social-care

Get involved in the work of the UK Parliament

Sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/