CDO England update on healthcare worker vaccinations and new dental SOPs
10 December 2021
The Chief Dental Officer for England, Sara Hurley, has shared an update discussing the vaccination requirements for healthcare workers as well as the new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance.
Following the Government’s announcement that individuals undertaking CQC regulated activities in England must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no later than 1 April 2022, NHS England has written to all dental practices providing details on the requirement. A supporting document, available below, has been made available to provide guidance to employers. The guidance includes a flow chart for determining whether a worker is subject to the requirement.
On the new SOP and IPC guidance, the update provides some key points from the CDO’s recent webinar. These include the application of the “hierarchy of controls framework”, the screening of patients for either the non-respiratory or respiratory pathway and the role of clinical prioritisation. The update also contains a series of FAQs, addressing issues such as the use of LFTs, patient vaccination status and AGPs in non-ventilated areas.
