Introduction
Background and objectives
On 31 January 2022, the government announced its intention to revoke the regulations making coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination a condition of deployment in health and social care, subject to consultation and parliamentary process.
As part of the announcement, the government set out the changes in clinical evidence which made it right to revisit the balance of risks and benefits that had guided government’s original decisions to introduce COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of deployment in health and social care. At that time Delta was the dominant variant of COVID-19, compared to Omicron which is intrinsically less severe. With a population that had immune systems that had limited exposure to COVID-19, and with vaccine effectiveness against infection after 2 doses estimated at 65% to 80%, the clinical evidence weighed heavily in favour of introducing the requirement in order to protect patients and the people who receive care and support.
Our overriding concern remains their protection, as well as protecting our valuable health and social care workforce. Our population as a whole is now better protected against hospitalisation from COVID-19 thanks to our world leading vaccine programme and we will build on the existing work to support and encourage vaccine uptake it continues to be a clear professional responsibility of all health and social care staff to be vaccinated. However, combined with the reduced vaccine effectiveness against infection, it is right and responsible to revisit the vaccination as a condition of deployment policy.
Government subsequently held a consultation between 9 and 16 February 2022 to seek views on the government’s intention to revoke the vaccination as a condition of deployment policy in health and social care. This document sets out the government’s response.
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