Covid-19 Vaccination and Testing Policy:

Version One – Final 22nd June 2021   

Please note this policy will be kept under active review as changes to governmental policy can be frequent and implemented at short notice.  

Introduction

Policy Application 

Covid-19 Vaccination 
Additional Protective Measure 
Individual’s decision 
Priority Eligibility 
Further Information 
Time off for vaccination 
Return to Work 
Asking you to tell us if you have had the vaccine 
Covid measures in MVDC buildings   

Testing 
Symptomatic testing 
Asymptomatic testing 
Treating colleagues with respect 
Data Protection 
Document information and governance 

Introduction 

The Government is currently rolling out its national COVID-19 vaccination and asymptomatic testing programme. This policy sets out MVDC’s stance on our staff being vaccinated and tested and how both programmes impact our workforce. 

The purpose of having a vaccination and testing policy is to enable MVDC to continue to deliver services to the community and to keep those who work for us as safe as reasonably possible in regards to transmission of Covid-19. 

As developments on the vaccine emerge, this policy (or the requirement to have it at all) may be reviewed in response – e.g. reflecting new scientific evidence or government approaches.  Any material changes will be consulted upon. The first planned review date will be September 2021. 

Policy application 

This policy applies to anybody working for MVDC whether permanent or individually contracted employees, casuals, or interims.  Councillors, other occupants of MVDC buildings and contractors where the work is outsourced (e.g. waste, leisure etc.) are out of scope of this policy. 

COVID-19 vaccination programme 

Vaccinations are free of charge on the NHS. They are being administered according to a priority list at vaccination centres, including some hospitals, sports stadiums, conference centres, GP surgeries and pharmacies. 

We encourage staff who are not registered with a GP to do so as soon as they can. See www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps/how-to-register-with-a-gp-surgery for information on how to do this. 

Additional Protective Measure 

At the time of writing, vaccination for Covid-19 is seen as an additional protective measure for employees.  It is not currently a substitute for continuing to follow legal requirements and government advice regarding self-isolation, social distancing, quarantining or any other relevant and current protective measure and, in addition, continuing to follow relevant MVDC instructions and measures such as those contained in the Risk Assessments which are appropriate to an individual’s job, task or the premises within which he or she is working.   

Vaccination status of other individuals (Councillors, building occupants, service users, work colleagues who do not require the vaccine for their job) is not within MVDC’s control.  Each individual must therefore ensure he/she continues to take all required and recommended additional precautions for their own safety. 

No assumptions about an individual’s vaccination status should be made – for example – that he or she must have been vaccinated if they attend MVDC’s buildings.  Only a very small number of individuals conducting activities in a high risk environment will be required to discuss vaccine status.  

Individual’s decision 

When a coronavirus vaccination becomes available to you, we strongly encourage staff who are medically advised and or invited by their age group category to take up their opportunity to be vaccinated. We understand that for many employees this is ultimately each individual’s choice, but we encourage our workforce to make an informed decision by: 

  • reading up about COVID-19 vaccinations via NHS and government sources; 
  • paying attention to the information the NHS provides when offering a vaccine; and 
  • being wary/cautious of misinformation around COVID-19 vaccinations put out by unreliable sources. 

Depending on the job or task that you do, it may be necessary to discuss if the vaccine is a requirement for you to conduct your role/tasks safely and therefore if there are (or are likely to be) any impacts on your role if you decide you do not wish to have the vaccine when you are offered it.   

In all circumstances we will seek to understand the nature of any concerns you may have. 

Priority Vaccination for eligible staff 

A very small number of our staff are eligible for priority vaccination alongside front line health and social care workers. These staff have been informed directly.  These staff are referred to the section Asking you to tell us if you have had the vaccine below and the relevant manager will be required to record vaccination (both doses) on i-trent for risk assessment and health and safety purposes.  

Further information 

Information on the national COVID-19 vaccination programme is set out at: 

  • the priority list for vaccination; 
  • vaccination of specific groups, such as pregnant individuals and older people; and 
  • what to expect after your vaccination, including guidance on returning to normal activities; and 
  • who can get a vaccination; 
  • the safety and effectiveness of being vaccinated; and 
  • what to expect after your vaccination, including potential side effects. 

In addition, information on local arrangements is available at www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination-programme  

Time off for vaccination appointments 

We will give all our employees paid time off to attend COVID-19 vaccination appointments.  

Employees should still obtain approval from their line manager in advance of taking time off to attend a COVID-19 vaccination appointment. They should give their line manager as much notice as they can that they would like to take time off for this purpose. 

Line managers may, at their discretion, ask employees to produce evidence of their appointment (for example an appointment card or email/text inviting them to a COVID-19 vaccination appointment). 

Return to work following vaccination appointments 

Following a vaccination, employees should be able to resume their normal activities, including working, as long as they feel well. 

This means that employees should return to work as soon as they can after their vaccination appointment.  If it is not practical for the employee to return to work immediately after their appointment, for example if it is towards the end of their working day, they should discuss alternative arrangements with their line manager. 

Any employees who feel unwell after receiving a coronavirus vaccination should take sickness absence in the usual way recording the reason as “Covid vaccine side effects” in i-trent. Under our usual sick leave policy they should notify their line manager by telephone as soon as reasonably practicable, preferably before they are due to start work and in any event no later than the normal time they are due to begin work. 

Asking you to tell us if you have had the vaccine 

We will only require you to tell us of your vaccination status if your work falls within the categories described below (though your manager may need proof of your appointment to give you the time off).  In particular, in accordance with current government guidance you will not be required to demonstrate vaccine status before entering MVDC buildings. 

There are two reasons why we will ask you to tell us if you have had the vaccine. 

The first reason is in relation to the job that you do and our duty of care towards you, other employees and our service users.  If, for example, you do a job that requires you to work in the community you are more likely to catch (and potentially to transmit) the virus during the course of your work activities.  In some cases you may be working with clinically extremely vulnerable people (or those for whom it is not easy to determine health status) or you may be conducting an activity where it is less likely that strict social distancing will always be observed (e.g. where there is the potential for conflict with a service user).  In these cases the vaccine provides an additional level of protection to both you and the service user and must therefore be considered as part of our duty of care to both parties.  

Information is evolving all the time on the impact of the vaccine, however whilst having the vaccine cannot guarantee that you will not contract the virus, current studies indicate that it is less likely that you will catch the virus, and in the event that you do, that the severity of any illness will be reduced.  (Studies demonstrate that Covid-19 is reduced amongst the majority of those who have been double vaccinated and there is therefore less likelihood of hospitalisation and/or death).  This therefore means that the risk is reduced for you personally and for any services users you are in contact with if you have the vaccine (provided you are medically advised to do so).   

Your manager may therefore discuss vaccination as part of the Risk Assessments for the work that you do, and record the outcome of that discussion, in order to establish sufficient and proportionate protective measures – one such measure being the vaccine.   

The second reason is to ensure that MVDC maintains a resilient and flexible workforce.  Examples of this include, but are not limited to, being able to cover others who may be absent or have additional workload; undertake relevant general duties appropriate to a particular type of role (e.g. being a manager at a level of seniority such that it is expected you are able to be flexible according to business need); or if you may need to speak to people in person in unforeseen circumstances sometimes at short notice; or to conduct additional elements that are not part of your role but you have agreed to undertake.  For an organisation as small and complex as MVDC people will often conduct additional tasks and have responsibilities that sit outside the prescribed and anticipated activities related to their specific job role.  If these activities are high risk and it is reasonably foreseeable that you will need to do them, it may be relevant to include discussion of the vaccine, recording the outcome as part of risk assessments. 

For the first and second reasons your manager will ask you about your vaccine status and if the full range of protective measures are considered necessary, including the vaccine, your manager will record vaccine status on your i-trent record (Guidance can be found here).  This information is collected for risk assessment and HR related purposes in relation to the job (or task) that you do.  

If you fall into the categories above, both doses of the Covid-19 vaccination will be recorded on your i-trent record.  

Failing to establish that you have had the vaccine will not mean that you will not be asked to undertake additional activities commensurate to your role and skills and experience from time to time.  It will however be part of a risk based approach which will include taking additional personal responsibility for social distancing or other protective measures.  

It is possible that some service users will ask if the relevant MVDC staff have been vaccinated in order to reduce their concerns about transmission.  No personal information on this will be provided by MVDC until there is further government guidance on this – at which point revisions to this policy will be considered and communicated to you if appropriate (in advance of any further processing taking place).  Service users may, however, be provided with a copy of this policy in order to establish our organisational position.   

Covid measures in MVDC buildings  

MVDC buildings are not just workplaces, but public buildings.  At the time of writing it is not realistic to assume that everybody entering the building will have had the vaccine (or a negative Covid-test).  At some point the building(s) will open again to visitors, Councillors, residents or local business representatives and it will not be lawful to conduct checks before granting access.  It is clear that vaccination is an additional protective measure, but it cannot be relied upon as the only measure and at the current time it must not change behaviours. 

Covid measures will therefore continue to apply.  These currently include social distancing, good ventilation, the use of face coverings, enhanced cleaning, restricting numbers of occupants at any given time, etc., as per the Risk Assessments that have been conducted for all premises, tasks and activities.  These will be reviewed as needed and in response to any governmental changes in the coming months.  In addition any staff with symptoms/positive tests must follow the government guidance and the procedure on Molly immediately. 

Any staff with particular concerns about using the building must discuss with their manager.  (Proactive and early discussion is advised in order to maximise the opportunity to respond to concerns, do not wait until there is a need to go in on a given day).  Confidential health risk assessments will be conducted for anybody who believes they are Clinically Vulnerable or Clinically Extremely Vulnerable.   

Covid-19 Testing 

There are different tests you can get to check if you have coronavirus. The 2 most commonly used are: 

  • PCR tests (mainly for people with symptoms) 
  • Rapid lateral flow tests (only for people with no symptoms) 

Both are free.  You can see more details here. 

Symptomatic Testing  

If you have symptoms of Covid-19 you should book a PCR test immediately. Please book a test online https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test  or call 119. 

If you have symptoms, you and everyone you live with must immediately self-isolate. Do not leave home until you get your test results, except to post a test kit or to attend a booked test appointment at a PCR test site.   

You will also need to ensure you have provided further information on your whereabouts through this procedure as soon as you are safely in self-isolation. 

Asymptomatic Testing 

It is important to note that this is only for use if you have no symptoms and have not been told to self-isolate for any Coronavirus related reason.  Asymptomatic testing only using a lateral flow device is not completely reliable as it only reads positive if you are carrying a high viral load, therefore even if you receive a negative test you must continue with all the usual precautions (Hands, Face, Space) and follow the procedures in the relevant Risk Assessments.   

One in three people who become infected with Covid-19 have no symptoms.  Rapid testing is now available to everyone and we strongly encourage staff to get into the habit of taking tests twice weekly to help prevent outbreaks.  It is possible to order home tests – these are lateral flow tests that can be done in your own home, giving you the result instantly.  See here for details. 

Alternatively test kits can be accessed by 

If testing at home, you will need to register your results online or by calling 119. You should report the result every time you carry out a lateral flow test as soon as possible after you get the result.  You cannot report your test result after 24 hours.   

If you test positive from a lateral flow test you should book a confirmatory PCR test within two days of your test result and you will be required by law to self-isolate for this period.  You will also need to ensure you have provided further information on your whereabouts through this procedure as soon as you are safely in self-isolation. 

If you then test negative, you must inform your line manager and the Single Point of Contact (above), and continue to observe all current health and safety precautions such as wearing PPE, washing your hands, observing social distancing, etc.  

This, and a variety of other questions, are answered in the Q&As you can find on the staff Q&A webpage.   

You are expected to conduct asymptomatic testing in your own time.  It is a fast process you can do in your own home and all of us are being requested to do this regularly and for the safety of others generally.  

Treating colleagues with respect 

We recognise that the subject of the COVID-19 vaccination programme can be divisive and lead to the expression of strong opinions. However, employees must remain responsible and respectful when communicating with their colleagues about COVID-19 vaccinations.  Harassment or intimidation of colleagues because of their views or individual circumstances may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. 

Data Protection 

In accordance with the section Asking you to tell us if you have had the vaccine the reasons and circumstances in which we require you to tell us are stated above. 

A Data Privacy Impact Assessment has been conducted in conjunction with this policy and is available from the Data Protection Officer up on request.   

An Amended Employer’s Privacy Statement has also been prepared and is available here

Document Information and Governance 

Approved by: SLT  
Date: Monday 21st June 2021, finalised 22nd June 2021 

Version control: V1 FINAL  

Version Version Status  (Draft, Approved /Published Internally or Externally) Date Version Comment  Version Author 
V0.1 Draft  1st March 2021 Creation of the document KI 
  2nd March 2021 Further draft (tracked changes) after TP comments KI 
  4th March 2021 Further draft (tracked changes) after continued review and sight of DPIA KI 
  4th March 2021 Final untracked draft send to SLT for comment and approval KI 
V0.2 Approved Draft 8th March 2021 Approved by SLT for next steps – BMT and Staff Hub consultation from Tues 9th March to Mon 22nd March KI  
V0.3 Further draft 29th March 2021 Approved by SLT for consultation with remaining staff KI 
V0.4 Tracked changes post all staff consultation for SLT review 17th June 2021 Discussed with SLT, re-circulated for meeting sign off KI 
V0.5 Approved policy 21st June 2021 SLT signed off policy  KI  
V0.6 Minor tweaks 22nd June 2021 Reflecting i-trent recording logistics KI 
V1 Published  22nd June 2021 One further minor amend 1st Publication KI