‘Reasonable’ to require nursing home staff to be vaccinated, says UK human rights watchdog Bedford News

The UK’s human rights watchdog said it was “reasonable” to legally require nursing home staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said a proportionate approach to requiring care home workers to be vaccinated against Covid could help ease restrictions, while still allowing staff to work in a safe environment and to give more freedom to residents.

However, the watchdog said the government should include important safeguards and minimize the risk of discrimination by including exemptions in legislation, for example for those who cannot receive the vaccine for medical reasons.

The government has organized a consultation over a five-week period to make vaccination a condition of the deployment of elderly care home staff in England.

In its submission to the consultation, the EHRC acknowledged that the requirement for a Covid vaccine would be a “significant departure” from current health policy, but said there is a precedent and this decision could protect service users who are particularly at risk for coronavirus.

The submission reads: “By legislating for compulsory vaccination, the government is right to prioritize the protection of the right to life for residents and staff.

“In our view, therefore, it is reasonable to require that nursing home staff be vaccinated in order to work directly with elderly and disabled people, subject to certain important safeguards to ensure that the requirement remains proportionate and to minimize the burden. risk of unlawful discrimination or neglect of care. human rights of workers.

An EHRC spokesperson said: “Requiring nursing home staff to be vaccinated offers a way to protect older residents who are most at risk of serious illness and death from Covid-19. This would support their right to private and family life, to health. , to live independently, as well as to reduce the risks for workers.

“Any requirement should be implemented proportionally with exemptions for the small number of people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

“Compulsory vaccination is not a new idea, as some NHS Trusts require staff to be vaccinated against hepatitis B.”