Mandatory Vaccination For Care Homes: Self-Certification Extended

The Government has decided to extend the time period for which an individual can self certify that they are exempt from vaccination until 31 March 2022. A letter from the Government dated 8 December 2021 explaining the extension can be found here. 

The reason for the extension is said to be because of delays some people have experienced in obtaining a formal exception. The one key issue the letter does not address is the certification forms being issued by the Workers of England, Scotland, and Wales Unions (the Union). The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has previously indicated that the certificates issued by this particular union are acceptable evidence of clinical exemption. It appears to us that CQC had not explored the Union's approach to satisfying themselves that the workers in question are exempt in accordance with the exemptions that have been identified by the Government so the CQC approach is, in my view, surprising.