The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 were made on 6 January 2022, and the provisions in the regulations relating to mandatory vaccination for frontline health and social care workers in England will come into force 12 weeks later, i.e. on 1 April 2022. 

The regulations extend the existing mandatory vaccination requirement for care home workers to those working in “any other regulated activity” outside a care home. Regulated activities include nursing and personal care and most forms of health care. The vaccination requirement will not, however, apply where the individual is under 18, is clinically exempt from COVID-19 vaccination, has no direct, face to face contact with service users, is taking part in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine or where the regulated activity is part of a shared lives agreement. In addition, wholly new employees can be deployed if they have received a single dose at least 21 days before starting work – they must then obtain a second dose within ten weeks of the first (this latter exemption and that for those taking part in clinical trials have also been extended to cover care home workers from 7 January 2022). 

The regulations are to be reviewed by the government, and a report published, within one year of 1 April 2022 and within every year after that.

Source: New feed