Vaccination as Condition of Deployment (VCOD) measures set to be cancelled
Regulations requiring healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated by 1 April should no longer be applied, the Health Secretary Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP announced to Parliament on the evening of 31 January.
- Joint statement from the GMC and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, 10 February
- NHS England letter and FAQs re: VCOD, 8 February
- NHS England letter re: VCOD, 31 January
A Government onsultation was opened between 9 and 16 February, once the Government has considered responses to the consultation it will move for the two statutory instruments covering VCOD in care homes and in other care settings to be nullified, likely before the end of February. This will mean the legislation making VCOD a requirement is removed.
In the meantime, employers have been instructed by NHS England: "This change in Government policy means we request that employers do not serve notice of termination to employees affected by the VCOD regulations."
The Health Secretary also told Parliament that he has written to regulators, NHS England and the CQC to request that they tighten measures and requirements for vaccinations received by staff. His letter has not been published, but the response to it from the GMC and Academy of Royal Medical Colleges is linked to above.
In his statement to MPs on 31 January, Mr Javid said the policy had been right in retrospect, “given the severity of Delta”.
Note: Londonwide LMCs previously issued this guidance on VCOD which was circulated as part of our January newsletter. It is no longer applicable following the announcement of 31 January.
Last updated : 23 Feb 2022Patient Access service update - proxy access now available (16 Jul 2019)
Patient Access have recently updated their service to allow proxy access. Proxy access is designed for those who need to use the service on behalf of someone else; this...NHS England premises policy review and NAO report on NHSPS (16 Jul 2019)
On 27 June, NHS England published its premises policy review. The full document is available here. The accompanying NHS England board paper summarises the review’s proposals as follows:NHS England board meeting 27 June 2019 (16 Jul 2019)
The NHS England board meeting on 27 June discussed various aspects of primary care and notable points included: The NHS Standard Contract now require community health services to be...Response to “Digital-First Primary Care” consultation on patient registration, funding and contracting rules (16 Jul 2019)
Responding to the consultation on amendments to the out of area registration rules and other measures intended to support and develop the “Digital First Primary Care” model as outlined in...Primary Care Networks (PCN) update – July 2019 (16 Jul 2019)
The start of this month saw the deadline for primary care networks to be finalised with CCGs. There have been a number of developments since our last newsletter: PCN process...Digital Roundtable event and practice nurse Action Learning Set (16 Jul 2019)
On 3 July we hosted a Digital Roundtable for IT leads and practice managers. Speakers included representatives from the Primary Care Digital Transformation team at NHS England and our own...New Introduction to Practice Finance module for practice managers (16 Jul 2019)
We are pleased to announce our new practice finance module will be going live from September 2019. The module provides a vital update for practice managers looking to improve their...Dr Michelle Drage awarded BMA Medal (16 Jul 2019)
On 26 June at the BMA Annual Representative Meeting in Belfast, Dr Michelle Drage, our Chief Executive, was awarded the Association Medal in recognition of her “distinguished service to the...Viewpoint: LGBT are you in or out? (05 Jul 2019)
Ahead of the London Pride March, Richard Watson, Analytical Manager for the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) looks at inclusivity in the NHS and wider community. Working on the NHS...MWord 40 (20 Jun 2019)
Guidance
We provide expert guidance for practices in our guidance section, as well as an archive of other materials you may find useful.
GP Support
Contact our GP Support team if you need help or advice.
The team provide professional and pastoral support to GPs and practice teams on a broad range of issues.
follow us on...
