Care Homes: Work Experience
(asked on 15th November 2021) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure health and social care students who are under the age of 18 and unable to receive a second dose of the covid-19 vaccine are able to complete their work placements in care homes.
The government knows that vaccines save lives which is why, earlier this year, plans were set out to make COVID-19 vaccines a condition of deployment for adults in care homes to protect those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Vaccinated people are less likely to experience severe symptoms of COVID-19, be admitted to hospital or die from it and there is evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus on to others.
The current exemption from the requirement to be fully vaccinated to work in a care home is expected to continue. This applies to those with specific medical conditions, pregnant women and those aged under 18 as set out in operational guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccination-of-people-working-or-deployed-in-care-homes-operational-guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-of-people-working-or-deployed-in-care-homes-operational-guidance.
16 -17-year-olds who work in the health and social care sector, including students undertaking work placements, have been eligible for 2 vaccinations since the beginning of phase 1 of the vaccination programme roll out. Following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's announcement, all 16–17-year-olds are now eligible for 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The department encourages further education providers to work with employers to understand the vaccination requirements for students undertaking work placements in their health or care setting.
Further information can be found on the ACAS website and the guide for employers on gov.uk:
https://www.acas.org.uk/working-safely-coronavirus/getting-the-coronavirus-vaccine-for-work.