Do not require health and social care workers to take covid-19 vaccination
109,274 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 19 March 2021; it closed on 19 September 2021. The Government responded on 29 June 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 20 September 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Do not require health and social care workers to take covid-19 vaccination
We, the people, demand that health and social care workers are given the right to exercise free will in relation to any medical procedure and so to be able to refuse to take the covid 19 vaccination without fear of facing discrimination at work or in wider society.
The government serves the people, not vice versa, so it should not be lawful for the government or its agents to force a section of society to undergo a medical procedure against their will or to sanction discrimination against these people on the basis of their vaccination status.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 29 June 2021; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
There is a clear public health rationale for making COVID-19 vaccinations a condition of deployment in care homes in order to protect those who are most vulnerable to severe illness and death.
The opening 370 words of the 730-word response:
Vaccines are the best way to protect people from coronavirus and have saved thousands of lives. Vaccinated people are less likely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it. There is also clear evidence that they are less likely to pass the virus onto others.
Residents in care homes are particularly vulnerable to severe illness and death from COVID-19; Around a third (31% - Care home resident deaths registered in England and Wales, provisional - https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/carehomeresidentdeathsregisteredinenglandandwalesprovisional) of registered deaths from COVID-19 in England were care home residents, as of 2nd April 2021. Making vaccination a condition of deployment in care homes will help ensure that residents at high risk from COVID-19 either due to their age, underlying health conditions, or disability are better protected against the virus. Care home workers have a duty of care to protect the people they look after and have done a phenomenal job throughout the pandemic to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in these settings. Vaccination is a crucial part of this.
While NHS data shows (Statistics » Supplementary Information - https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/supplementary-information/) the majority of care home workers have been vaccinated (84%), only 65% of older adult care homes in England are currently meeting the minimum level of staff uptake needed to reduce the risk of outbreaks in these high-risk care settings - falling to 44% of care homes in London. Sustaining high levels of staff vaccination now and in the future as people enter the workforce is important to minimise the risk of outbreaks, reduce transmission and protect residents. Therefore, there is a strong case for introducing a new requirement, in order to make these very high-risk environments as safe as possible from the effects of COVID-19.
While some of those who receive care and their relatives have expressed caution about vaccination as a condition of deployment, many have told us that they want themselves (or their relative) to be cared for by someone who is fully vaccinated. Vaccines are a safe and effective way of preventing the spread of COVID-19. Making vaccination a condition of working in a care home will provide residents and their families with the knowledge that their health is the number one priority.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 486, came from Isle of Wight.
108,443 of the signatures were from the UK and 831 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | 486 |
| Bournemouth East | 457 |
| Bournemouth West | 397 |
| Croydon North | 372 |
| Eastbourne | 358 |
| Hastings and Rye | 352 |
| Southampton, Test | 326 |
| Knowsley | 318 |
| Birmingham, Erdington | 314 |
| Torbay | 311 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 15,907 |
| North West | 14,099 |
| London | 11,835 |
| South West | 11,369 |
| East of England | 10,292 |
| West Midlands | 9,761 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9,074 |
| East Midlands | 8,009 |
| Scotland | 5,159 |
| North East | 4,052 |
| Wales | 3,790 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,009 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 20 September 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/577842.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
3c4243d4b93a221c… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.