Consultation to revoke compulsory vaccinations for health and social care staff

On 31 January 2022, the government announced its intention to revoke the regulations that made vaccination a condition of deployment (VCOD) for health and social care staff (in both care homes and wider Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated care services). This decision was made subject to public consultation and parliamentary process.

The associated consultation is now live and will run until 11:45 on 16 February. Q&As relating to proposed VCOD revocation are also available.

With the announcement of the intention to revoke this legislation, the government’s clear advice to employers is to not serve notice of termination to employees in connection with the VCOD regulations. 

While the decision is welcomed, we know that it comes after there has already been significant upheaval and impact across the care sector and some of our members, and importantly it has heavily impacted some people’s lives. The NHF is urging government to learn from this experience and take a more long term and collaborative approach in the future.

If you have any questions about the changes announced then please get in touch with our team.