What should I do or say to a visiting professional who turns up to my care home and is either unvaccinated or refusing to guarantee vaccination?

Answered by Chris King

The short answer is that, unless it is an emergency, visiting professionals must either provide evidence of vaccination or a medical exemption to the Registered Manager before they are allowed entry to the care home. If they refuse to do either, they should not be allowed access as to do so would be a breach of the Regulations.

If the customer is having persistent issues with a particular organisation then I would suggest that they specifically speak with this organisation, set out the care home’s position and the Regulations and confirm that no visiting professionals will be given access unless and until they have confirmed their vaccination or exemption status.

The offence is committed by the care home (and Registered Manager) if they allow someone access without having proof of vaccination or exemption so it is imperative that all individuals who this applies to are checked and refused entry if they do not comply. I appreciate practically this can cause some difficulty but the alternative may be significant fines and/or potential professional discipline issues.