From April 2022, health and social care workers will be required to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus, unless they are exempt.
The requirement will apply to workers who have direct face-to-face contact with people while providing care, including doctors, nurses, dentists, and domiciliary care workers.
Volunteers and support staff, such as receptionists who have social contact with patients, will also be required to be fully vaccinated.
The aim is to help protect the most vulnerable patients, as well as protection for workers to help prevent them from becoming ill and absent from work.
Most of Devon’s health care workers are already vaccinated. Published statistics show that in the south-west region over 95 per cent of all staff employed by NHS trusts have had at least one dose and almost 93 per cent are fully vaccinated. This is higher than the national average for England.
Many of those staff are now having their booster vaccinations and there are plenty of walk-in clinics and bookable appointments available.