The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has amended current legislation to state that all care home and visitors must be fully vaccinated from November this year.

The DHSC amended the current Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to bring the new COVID-19 vaccination rules for care homes into effect from 11 November 2021.

The change in the Regulations states that any Registered persons will need to refuse entry into a care home of anyone that has not completed their course of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.

Any organisation which is seen to breach the amended Regulations will see enforcement activity undertaken on a proportionate basis.

This will take into account the impact on “quality of care and people’s safety”, in line with their existing enforcement policy.

The CQC will then decide the action to take that they deem most appropriate in the situation – “treating each case individually and on its’ own merits”.

Care 4 Quality.

The requirement to have completed the full course of a vaccine forms part of the fundamental standards and will be monitored and enforced in appropriate cases by the CQC.

However, until the monitoring comes into force in November, the CQC will continue to use their “existing assessment and enforcement policies and take a proportionate approach”.

At Care 4 Quality., we will be discussing this change in the Regulations with our clients and ensuring that they feel supported with the changes moving forward.

For new manager applications, the CQC will seek assurance that:

• Applicants are fully vaccinated or exempt.
• Applicants are aware of their duties in relation to the new Regulations regarding COVID-19 vaccination.

For ongoing inspections and monitoring, the CQC will:

• Monitor that providers comply with the Regulations.

• Propose to add the following question to the Provider Information Return (PIR) once this duty is in place: ‘How are you assured that those you employ and deploy within your service have had their mandatory vaccinations?’
• Build a similar question into our monitoring approach once this duty is in place.

 

Our CQC Inspections Manager, Gabi Ashton said: “Care 4 Quality. will ensure that these regulatory changes are met by our clients and that they understand the amendments that have been made.

“As an organisation, our team is made up of healthcare experts who have their eyes firmly on any changes within regulations made by the CQC and other bodies.

“We want to assure our clients that we can guide them through the guidance and help them to take the necessary actions so they are prepared for when the new Regulations come into play.”

 

To find out more about the news on COVID-19 vaccinations in care homes, please visit the DHSC operational guidance. For more information on how Care 4 Quality. help with your CQC registration and compliance with the CQC, contact us today.