Vaccinations and the healthcare sector

Since 11 November 2021 COVID-19 vaccinations have been mandatory for care home staff, volunteers and anyone else entering the care home for work purposes (subject to certain exemptions).  Government guidance and Acas guidance on the details were published in September.

The Government has decided to extent this requirement to other health and social care settings from April 2022, making double vaccination a condition for employment or engagement for those providing services in regulated settings (including hospitals and GP practices), whether as employees, agency staff or volunteers. Further, it is not just clinical staff who will be affected, the requirement will extend to other types of staff having face to face contact with patients, such as receptionists and cleaners. The Government's response, published on 9 November 2021, to an earlier consultation can be found here.

The Government has now also published guidance on how the medical exemption criteria should be evidenced. Essentially, self-certification will no longer suffice after 24^th December. After that date, those with medical exemptions must apply to have their medical exemption validated by a GP or other health professional. They will have to call 119 and request a form which can take 2-3 weeks to process.

For now the Government does not intend to legislate to make 'normal' flu vaccinations mandatory in these settings.

Budget: increases to minimum wages

In the Budget on 27 October, Rishi Sunak announced increases to the National Living Wage (for those aged 23 and above) from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour. The National Minimum Wage will also rise for those aged 21-22 from £8.36 to £9.18, and the Apprentice Rate from £4.30 to £4.81. These changes will take effect in April 2022. 

Immigration changes: MAC report on Intra-company transfers

In September 2020 the Home Secretary commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to report on the Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) visa route. The MAC consulted with interested parties and published a report on 13 October 2021. An analysis of the key recommendations and where this leaves ICT can be found here. If you would like further advice on this or other immigration issues, please contact either Charlie Pring or Vikki Wiberg in our Mobility Team.