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Legally forcing dozens of workers to take a hit raises huge legal and moral questions. Ministers have previously called similar ideas “discriminatory”.
The Cabinet subcommittee document warns that a “large” number of welfare workers may resign if the change is made, and that successful human rights lawsuits could be possible. It makes clear that a similar legal requirement is being considered for some frontline healthcare workers, such as those in wards, but no decision has been made on it.
The document, prepared by the Department of Health and Social Assistance, is about 15 pages long and is titled “Vaccination as a condition for deployment in health and social care settings for adults.”
Their key line is understood to read: “The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State [Mr Hancock] have discussed on several occasions the progress being made to vaccinate social assistance workers against Covid-19 and have agreed, in order to achieve a much greater security position for the beneficiaries of care, to implement legislation that requires vaccination among the workforce. “
The ruling makes it clear that both have decided, in principle, to change the law to require vaccination of social workers, even while the details are worked out. Government officials are discussing what the legislation would look like, and consultation on a detailed final proposal is expected.
The legal change is likely to affect only England, and health policy will be the responsibility of the decentralized administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Nursing homes are among the sectors most affected by the Covid pandemic. In the past year, around one in 14 of the UK’s nursing home population died after contracting the virus.
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