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Occupational health practitioners should avoid getting involved in employment or disciplinary matters if employees covered by mandatory vaccination rules refuse to get a Covid-19 jab, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) has warned. New guidance from FOM regarding OH’s involvement in mandatory vaccination programmes, released after MPs approved plans to make Covid-19 vaccinations a legal requirement for all patient-facing health and social care workers in England, has stated that OH practitioners should be mindful of ethical and consent issues, and should not disclose information about an individual’s vaccination status to an employer without the individual’s consent. They should also avoid getting involved in any employment matters that arise where an employee has not been vaccinated. For example, OH should not get involved in decisions about whether a worker should be redeployed, suspended or dismissed – these are matters for HR and managers, FOM has suggested. OH practitioners will not need to provide an opinion on medical exemptions from the vaccination requirement, including confirming or refuting exemptions, the guidance states. From April 2022, anyone in a patient-facing role will need to have two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, unless they have an exemption. The requirement will apply to those working in NHS and private hospitals, general practices, community services, and any other health or care organisation regulated by the Care Quality Commission.
