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Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment

This FAQ has now been superseded by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s statement on 1 March 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Pre-registration Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professions and Psychological Professions Students

This FAQ was originally developed to respond to some of the questions asked by students in relation to vaccination as a condition of deployment. This remains a live FAQ and will be reviewed and updated in order to provide you with up to date advice and guidance. We will continue to work with the Council of Deans of Health who are also looking at a number of issues and plan to offer some support and information.

Following the recent announcement from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding the reconsideration of the legislation mandating COVID vaccinations for all those in patient-facing roles for CQC registered services, this document has been updated and replaces the previous one, found at this link. We will continue to keep this under review.

In January 2022, the government enacted legislation, requiring all those working in services regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in England who have face-to-face contact with service users, to provide evidence that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 unless they are medically exempt. This would include students and trainees undertaking clinical placements and was due to come into effect from 1 April 2022.

On 31 January 2022, the Secretary of State announced that this is being reconsidered and previous guidance regarding vaccination as a condition of deployment from 1 April 2022 has been paused. The Government’s decision is subject to Parliamentary process and will require consultation and a vote to be passed into legislation.

The majority of healthcare workers and students have now been vaccinated. We remain clear that vaccinations are the best way to protect people from the virus. Healthcare students, as future professionals, have a responsibility to protect patients, users of service, colleagues, their family, and themselves by getting vaccinated.

What are the changes to requirements for Covid vaccination?

Recent amendments to The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (“the 2014 Regulations”) required all those over 18 years of age and who have direct, face to face contact with patients or service users for the purpose of the provision of a CQC regulation activity, to evidence that they had been vaccinated with a complete course of a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved COVID-19 vaccine, subject to limited exceptions, by no later than 1 April 2022.

On 31 January 2022, the Secretary of State announced that this is being reconsidered and previous guidance regarding deployment of NHS staff from 1 April 2022 has been paused. The Government’s decision is subject to Parliamentary process and will require further consultation and a vote to be passed into legislation.

While previous guidance is currently paused, we strongly encourage students to be vaccinated.

I haven’t yet been vaccinated, what do I need to do?

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, and others from the virus. Healthcare students, as future professionals, have a responsibility to protect patients, users of service, colleagues, their family, and themselves by getting vaccinated. We encourage you to book and appointment and be vaccinated.

You can book an appointment using this link

To maintain high levels of protection against severe COVID-19 disease booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines are recommended at least 3 months (12 weeks) after the initial 2 doses of vaccine. Students who have had the 2 primary doses of vaccine should arrange for their booster dose to ensure they are fully protected.

I’m not sure about whether to have the vaccine, where can I find out more information? What resources are available to support decision making about vaccination?

If you contract Covid or pass it onto anybody you and others can become seriously ill, die, or have long-term effects. Vaccination has also been proven to be highly effective in reducing the severity of illness and will help protect you, your family and those you care for.

Research has shown that vaccines help:

reduce your risk of catching or spreading Covid-19
reduce your risk of getting seriously ill or dying from Covid-19

For more information on the vaccines available please go to Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines

There is lots of helpful information available on the NHS website which provides up to date facts about Covid-19 and the vaccination. You can of course talk to your GP, and universities will be having conversations with students and offering support.

There are some links to some useful resources below:

This Page was last updated on: 8 February 2022

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