19 January 2022

As expected, further national guidance for the mandatory vaccination process was issued on 14 January. The Trust has considered the guidance in partnership with staff side colleagues and a working group has been established to review all of the guidance. We have developed a set of working principles to ensure the Trust’s approach can support all of our colleagues in the most appropriate way. The table below shows the definitions for those colleagues who are in and out of scope of the provision (included/not included). Please note, this may be subject to change.

Letters started being posted to home addresses on 18 January and are being emailed to Mersey Care email addresses for all individuals who, according to our records, have not been fully vaccinated (first and second dose). The letter includes a list of questions and answers which have also been uploaded to YourSpace. If you receive this communication and can provide evidence that you are fully vaccinated, please show it to your manager so that records can be amended. If you think that you should have received a letter but have not, please speak to your manager.

If you have any questions, please speak to your manager or email: Mandatoryvaccinations@merseycare.nhs.uk

We appreciate that staff will have many questions about this, and we will arrange question and answer sessions. If you have not already done so, you will be encouraged to attend supportive conversations with your line manager. Please note, we are currently working with staff side colleagues regarding a process to manage concerns or queries regarding in and out of scope and we will communicate this as soon as it’s available.

Duties

What do we mean?

Who/what is not in scope?

Is the individual deployed for the provision of a CQC regulated activity (includes non-clinical activity)?

Most staff employed by the NHS will fall into this category. The activity cannot take place without the individual or role, that is, the care cannot be done if they are not there.

It must be linked to individual duties and part of substantive/normal duties (business as usual duties, not a redeployed role and/or duties due to COVID-19). It must be linked to contact as part of a patient/service users’ care pathway and treatment. Note, this includes non-clinical activity.

It is not based on a regulated premises/building.

If the care/activity can take place if the individual or role are not there, they are out of scope.

What is incidental contact?

Activity or care that is specific to the role as part of substantive/normal duties (not a redeployed role and/or duties due to COVID-19). For example, going into a clinical area, that is, attending a meeting or to work in an area accessed only through the clinical area where care or treatment takes place - such as through a ward.

This includes (but is not exhaustive):

  • Reception duties, if you see patients/service users face to face (even if behind a plastic screen, or in a clinical space or waiting area)
  • Office duties that are front of house, for example, walk in centres
  • Ancillary staff in clinical areas
  • Dropping off equipment at a patient/service user’s home
  • Security staff in a clinical area
  • Clinical temporary staff or bank staff
  • Clinical agency or locum staff
  • Contractors who work in clinical areas
  • Volunteers who attend clinical areas
  • Life rooms/social inclusion staff, as they support the care and treatment pathways of patients and service users. Mersey Care clinical staff and teams signpost patients and service users from a social prescribing and recovery learning perspective.

It is not:

  • Contact by entry or exit points
  • Bumping into patients/service users on a corridor or hospital grounds
  • Sharing a lift
  • Giving directions to patients/service users
  • Visiting the canteen for lunch/break
  • Coming into contact with patients/service users if your office/admin area is off a management corridor
  • Contact is in a non-patient/service user area, for example, V7 building. 

What will be classified as a reasonable adjustment?

It could be reasonable to request a meeting to be moved to another location or it could be possible to request an office move, but those requests cannot be deemed as unreasonable (please see unreasonable requests).

It is unreasonable:

  • If other colleagues’ normal duties are affected
  • Ways of working or pay is affected
  • Increased burden of administration/organisation around this.

 

It impacts one or more of the following:

  • Patient/service user experience/pathway and care
  • Resources, for example, Trust finances
  • Other staff
  • Wider organisation
  • Service provisions
  • Increased distance/travel/time for other staff to accommodate the request.

Who does the mandatory vaccine not apply to?

It does not apply to those who:

  • Are under the age of 18
  • Are medically exempt
  • Have participated in a clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine
  • Are pregnant and have a temporary exemption which will be valid until they are 16 weeks post birth
  • Are not in scope on the Vaccine as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) regulations.

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