Regulations making vaccines a condition of deployment (VCOD) for health and social care staff are set to be revoked, subject to public consultation and parliamentary approval, the government has announced.
The regulations, announced last year, meant frontline health and social care workers in England would have had to be fully vaccinated by 1 April, needing a first jab by Thursday.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid defended the regulations introducing mandatory Covid vaccinations for NHS and social care workers, insisting the government “makes no apology for it”.
But he told MPs ministers would now launch a consultation due to “dramatic changes” in the virus since the original regulations were outlined last year. He added: “Subject to the responses and the will of this house, the government will revoke the regulations.
The government will now work closely with Royal Medical Colleges and professional regulators to strengthen guidance and consult on updates to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Code of Practice for regulated providers to strengthen the requirements in relation to COVID-19, which applies to all CQC registered providers of all health and social care in England.
These changes with be subject to a period of consultation, parliamentary approval and will require a change to the regulations already laid