Covid vaccinations
The government has now voted to make Covid vaccinations for care workers working in care home settings mandatory.
What does this mean if you are considering a job in a care home?
To save confusion we thought we would list some key dates and information for you.
Firstly these new regulations come into effect on the 11th of November. This means you will need to be fully vaccinated (i.e. have had both of your vaccines) before that date in order to work in a care home in any capacity. Currently the only exemptions to this are a) a clinical exemption which would require a letter from your doctor to confirm you shouldn’t have the vaccine and b) if you are under 18. More guidance from the government on medical exemptions should be released shortly.
The 16th of September is the deadline for having your first dose, if you haven’t already had it – however that doesn’t leave much room for delays (needing to push your vaccine back due to illness for example) so it may be best to organise earlier to give you some extra time just in case!
Care homes will need to provide evidence that all their workers are vaccinated so your new employer will ask you for this if they operate in this type of care setting. You can get this evidence through the NHS app, the NHS Website or with a paper letter from the NHS. This can be requested by phoning 119. You can find out more here.