1 February 2022

The Government has suspended its previous policy to make COVID-19 vaccination a legal requirement for frontline workings in health and social care settings.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has announced the plan to scrap vaccination as a condition of deployment for healthcare workers in England. The changes have been made in light of the Omicron variant.

This means that the previous deadline – which mandated workers be fully vaccinated by 1 April, with a first dose of the vaccination by 3 February – is no longer applicable.

The policy is now under formal consultation.

There have been no plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory in Scotland or Wales. There will be a public consultation in Northern Ireland.

The RCSLT will share future updates on COVID-19 vaccination policy here. If you have any queries, please contact our enquiries team at info@rcslt.org.

HCPC statement – 9 February 2022

Read the HCPC’s statement on the uptake of the vaccine among its registrants.