Does Care Insurance Require Staff To Be Vaccinated?

1/17/2021 12:00:00 AM

Does Care Insurance Require Staff To Be Vaccinated?

As providers of insurance and risk management solutions to the social care sector since 1981, Towergate have a real understanding of how challenging 2020 has been for health and social care providers. The changing advice from central Government and regulatory agencies has required us to be more connected with our clients, and the insurers we work with, than ever before.

With vaccines beginning to be administered, in an attempt to bring the pandemic under control, one of the questions we are being asked is “will my policy respond if a member of staff refuses to be vaccinated?”

Advice from care insurers re vaccinating staff

As with many of the ever-evolving situations, is it difficult to provide a definitive yes or no answer. We have, however, spoken to those insurers we work most closely with, and a broad consensus of advice has been provided.

Each underwriter has agreed that legal liability is likely to be closely aligned with Governmental advice, and that there is an expectation that a responsible care provider would follow the most recent advice and ensure that regularly updated policies and procedures are documented and made available to their teams. Despite the introduction of vaccines, infection control practices will no doubt remain a high priority for the foreseeable future and will need to be maintained to the fullest extent possible.

Public liability and employers liability cover for care organisations

In terms of claims defensibility, public liability (where cover extends to include communicable diseases) and employers liability provide protection against the policyholder’s legal liability to residents, the general public and their employees. For a claim to be successful, the claimant would need to be able to demonstrate that there had been a breach in the policyholder’s duty of care and that the virus had originated through their activities, or at the premises. This would mean a contravention of government guidelines or advice, in relation to safety at work, regarding employees and service users. If a breach or failure to follow such guidelines is found, it would be difficult to successfully defend a claim.

Even with an ongoing vaccine rollout programme, legal liability will continue to be closely tied in with the myriad of guidance from various agencies. No-one will be ‘forced’ to have the vaccine, but it is clear that robust infection control practices will need to be maintained.

More advice on care insurance and coronavirus vaccinations

There is a range of situations that providers may face, and we hope that this general guidance is of use to you. There will no doubt be times when more specific guidance is required and we will be pleased to do all we can to help. If this the case please contact Richard Barnes on 07768 314 298 or richard.barnes@towergate.co.uk

Care insurance from Towergate

Towergate sources specialist business insurance policies designed specifically for the care sector. As one of the UK’s largest independently owned insurance brokers, we use our enormous buying power to give you access to leading insurers. This keeps the quality of your cover high and your premiums competitive.

As a leading provider of insurance for care homes, domiciliary care providers and children’s nurseries, our expert team has a deep understanding of the care sector and the risks it faces.

See our full range of care insurance products.

About the author

Mark Brannon Cert CII is a respected industry leader with over 17 years’ industry experience in a variety of roles within the business insurance sector. He works across a wide spectrum of insurance product and policy development, delivery and optimisation for clients, including claims, insurer relationships, marketing and communications, and risk management.