Covid and supported housing: making vaccination a condition of employment in the health and social care sector.
Any almshouse charity that operates a CQC registered care home must have staff that work in that care home vaccinated (unless they have a valid exemption.
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently reviewing these regulations and if they widen the criteria to non CQC registered settings we will of course let our member charities know.
As it stands, in terms of mandatory vaccination for other almshouse charities, this must be based on the Health and Safety risk analysis. Each charity will need to consider the risk to residents and staff.
This article from a leading law firm clearly explains the risks and challenges involved in adopting such a policy:
www.twobirds.com/en/news/articles/2021/uk/what-to-consider-when-implementing-a-vaccination-policy-in-your-organisation
If any member charity is considering this, we would recommend taking separate legal advice to ensure the charity is protected from challenge. Legal advisors can be found on our panel of consultants*: www.almshouses.org/panel-of-consultants/.
* The Almshouse Association makes every effort to ensure that the details of the Panel are accurate and up to date, it is important that members satisfy themselves that the services, qualifications and relevant membership of professional bodies meet their particular needs.
Posted 29 November 21