This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'professional duty of every NHS worker to get vaccinated'.


 
Freedom of Information Team 
Department of Health and Social Care 
39 Victoria Street 
London SW1H 0EU 
 
www.gov.uk/dhsc 
 
 
Cathy Fox  
By email to: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 
10 March 2022 
 
Dear Cathy Fox, 
 
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1395804 
 
Thank you for your request dated 26 February, in which you asked the Department of 
Health and Social Care (DHSC): 
 
“Dear Department of Health and Social Care, 
 
Thankyou for your reply. As i understand it is was Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for 
the department for Health and Social Care, who said there was a professional duty to get 
vaccinated. 
 
It would be surprising therefore if the very department he headed had no evidence 
whatsoever of the very professional duty that the Political Head of the Department had 
made a statement about. Indeed i would thin it was the duty of the department to have 
information on this subject. 
 
I further ask for any press lines to take that were prepared for questioning on this subject. 
 
Yours faithfully, 
 
Cathy Fox” 
 
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). 
 
DHSC holds information relevant to your request. As the information held by the 
Department is in the public domain we will, under Section 21 of the FOIA (information 
accessible to the applicant by other means), refer you to the published sources.  
 
In verifying the statement made by the Secretary of State we would direct you to readily 
accessible information in the public domain, including statements made by the General 
Medical Council (GMC) relating to professional responsibility for vaccination against 
COVID-19. The GMC guidancGood Medical Practice, published in 2013 and last 
updated in 2019, sets out the professional responsibilities of staff to get vaccinated. This 
states that workers “should be immunised against common serious communicable 
diseases (unless otherwise contraindicated).” 
This is also addressed by the GMC in their COVID-19 Q&A webpage:  

 
 
 
“In our guidance Good medical practice (2013), we say that doctors should be 
immunised against common serious communicable diseases unless doing so is 
contraindicated. 

In our view, the potential risk to a doctors’ own health as well as the risk of 
inadvertently spreading COVID-19 to vulnerable patients weighs in favour of 
doctors being vaccinated. And reducing the number of staff who are sick or in self-
isolation due to COVID-19 infection has a positive impact on workforce capacity to 
respond to patient need and wider health service demands.  

However we recognise that vaccination is not possible in all cases. If you are not 
vaccinated, you need to be confident that there are measures in place where you 
work to manage any risk to patients and colleagues. You will need to take 
appropriate steps to reduce risks and prioritise patient safety.” 

 
Together with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the GMC further issued a 
statement 
following the government announcement to remove regulations: 
“We note the Government is consulting on revoking the regulations that make 
vaccination against COVID-19 a condition of deployment for health and social care 
workers in England, based on the latest emerging evidence. The GMC has 
reviewed and updated its advice for doctors on vaccinations accordingly. 

While the GMC does not consider that solely turning down vaccination would in 
itself form the basis of a fitness to practise referral, doctors have a professional duty 
to protect patients from risks posed by their health, and to be immunised against 
common serious communicable diseases, unless contraindicated.  

The GMC and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges have consistently made 
clear that in the case of COVID-19, the potential risk to a doctors’ own health as 
well the risk of inadvertently spreading the virus to vulnerable patients weighs very 
strongly in favour of doctors being vaccinated. Reducing the number of staff 
members who are sick or in self-isolation also has a positive impact on workforce 
capacity to respond to patient need and wider health service demands.  

Being a good doctor means more than simply being a good clinician. Doctors can 
provide leadership to their colleagues and vision for the organisations in which they 
work and for the profession as a whole. 

Whether or not vaccination is required as a condition of deployment, it continues to 
be one of the most effective ways to protect patients, staff and the health service 
itself. Over 95% of doctors have already received at least two vaccinations, with the 
majority of these having also been boosted. We strongly encourage those who 
haven’t yet taken up the full course of vaccination to do so.” 

 

 
 
The Health and Care Professions Council are the regulators for 15 professions across the 
health and social care sectors. They have published a statement on COVID-19 
vaccination: 
 
“The government has announced that it will bring in regulations to revoke 
vaccination as a condition of deployment. The regulations come into force on 15 
March. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, the HCPC has strongly 
encouraged all our registrants to take up the vaccine, if they are able to do so. 

We have a number of Standards in place that are relevant in the context of COVID-
19 vaccination. These Standards reinforce the personal professional responsibility 
for ensuring the safe delivery of care and a safe working environment for 
colleagues. Our Standards of Proficiency set out the need for registrants to 
establish and maintain a safe practice environment; to maintain the safety of both 
service users and those involved in their care; and to select appropriate personal 
protective equipment and use it correctly. 

Our Standards for Conduct Performance and Ethics require our registrants to take 
all reasonable steps to reduce the risk of harm to service users, carers and 
colleagues and not do anything, or allow someone else to do anything, which could 
put the health or safety of a service user, carer, or colleague at unacceptable risk. 

The HCPC does not set specific requirements for registrants to have particular 
vaccinations. This is because such requirements can depend on a number of 
different factors including the specific professional context in which registrants are 
working, the particular role they play, the service users they support and any 
relevant individual health matters. Such requirements are normally determined by 
local policies set by employers. 

While the HCPC does not set specific requirements for registrants to be vaccinated, 
registrants have personal professional responsibility towards patients and the wider 
public. Covid-19 vaccination protects patients and the public, as well as registrants 
and their colleagues. All registrants should ensure that they meet their HCPC 
Standards at all times and follow local policies in place as set out by their 
employer.” 

 
The Nursing and Midwifery Council have similarly published a statement: 
 "We are incredibly proud of how nursing and midwifery professionals have 
responded to the pandemic – not only caring for people with Covid-19 and those 
with other needs but also vaccinating millions of people across the UK. 


 
 
"Since the Covid-19 vaccine rollout started, the NMC has strongly encouraged 
anyone eligible - including all professionals on our register - to be fully vaccinated 
as quickly as possible.  There is a global scientific consensus, supported by our 
own medicines regulator in the UK,
 on the importance and value of full vaccination 
against Covid-19 and the benefits for people receiving care, vaccinated individuals 
themselves, their families, communities and the wider health and social care 
system. 

"Our Code and our standards have always made clear that professionals have a 
responsibility to maintain their own level of health, taking all reasonable personal 
precautions to avoid potential health risks to colleagues and people receiving care. 
They also need to practise in line with the best available evidence, take appropriate 
steps to reduce risks and prioritise the safety of people in their care. They must 
work cooperatively, respecting others' views and opinions and behaving in a 
professional way at all times. 

"That’s why we continue to encourage nursing and midwifery professionals to be 
vaccinated against Covid-19.  We’re glad that the vast majority of nurses, midwives 
and nursing associates already are.  

"Any professional with concerns about vaccination should seek advice and support, 
for example from their GP, occupational health team, employer or trade 
union. Employers should work collaboratively with professionals who are seeking 
more information or support around vaccination.  We do not consider that solely 
turning down Covid-19 vaccinations is a basis for a Fitness to Practise referral. 

"We continue to strongly encourage all professionals to take up the offer of 
vaccination.  It is the best way to protect themselves, their families, colleagues and, 
of course, everyone receiving care." 

 
A press release announcing the Government’s intention to revoke VCOD in health and 
social care settings, subject to public consultation and Parliamentary approval, was 
published on 31 January 2022.  A further press release was published on 1 March 2022 
following the government response to this consultation. Both press releases set out the 
professional responsibility for those working in health and social settings to be vaccinated. 
 
Alongside this, the following lines to take were prepared on the topic of professional 
regulation and worker’s responsibility to be vaccinated: 
 
Professional Regulation: 
What do the professional regulators currently require from health 
professionals on covid vaccination? 

•  The current guidance from the regulators is that professionals should 
be vaccinated for communicable diseases, including covid.  Where 
they are not vaccinated for reasons of legitimate exemption, they are 
advised that they should take steps to protect patients accordingly. 


 
 
What are you asking them to do today? 
•  Given the particular impact of covid on individuals, professionals, the 
NHS and wider society;  the strong scientific and professional 
consensus in support of vaccination; and the strong sense of personal 
professional obligation that the overwhelming majority of health 
professionals feel in regard to covid vaccination, I have written to the 
regulators today to ask them to review their guidance with other 
professional leaders in the UK to satisfy themselves that the current 
guidance gives a sufficiently strong leadership message to those who 
are not yet vaccinated.  

Are you asking them to strike off professionals who refuse to be vaccinated?  
•  No, we are asking them to ensure that their guidance fully reflects the 
strong professional consensus about vaccination of healthcare staff.  
 
The Chief Medical Officer’s view is similarly that there is a professional responsibility for 
health and care workers to be vaccinated against Covid-19, as has been widely reported. 
He has laid this out in a letter sent to the sector also signed by other senior medical and 
professional officers. 
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asking for an internal review. This should be sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx or 
to the address at the top of this letter and be submitted within two months of the date of 
this letter. 
  
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication. 
 
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review decision. You should raise your concerns with the ICO within three months of your 
last meaningful contact with us. 
 
The ICO can be contacted at: 
 
The Information Commissioner’s Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow SK9 5AF 
 
Website: https://ico.org.uk/concerns 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Freedom of Information Officer 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx