We have outsourced partners and vendors who provide services in our premises at various frequencies. For example, air conditioner servicing is done quarterly, while couriers enter our premises either daily or weekly. Are the vaccination requirements applicable to such outsourced partners and vendors?
Personnel from outsourced partners/vendors, will need to be vaccinated if they do not fall within the scope of the exemptions in the licensing conditions, and do not have acceptable evidence of immunity.
This applies to all personnel of partners and vendors which provide services (e.g., maintenance of equipment, infrastructure, couriers etc.) regardless of frequency of such services, except where such partners and vendors provide services on only a one-off basis (for example, providing catering services for, or organising a one-off event).
Licensees should ensure that they put in place measures to ensure that they comply with their obligations to ensure that personnel of outsourced partners/vendors have acquired the required immunity under the licensing conditions. These may include, for example, stipulating the requirements for immunity and vaccination in their contractual agreements with such partners and vendors.
Related questions
If we do not have a contract with the external vendor (e.g., food caterers where only purchase order and invoice are involved), how could we ensure that the external vendors comply with the immunity requirement? Do we need to obtain evidence of immunity from these external vendors?
How can the licensees assess whether the exemption criteria are met?
If we have a contract with an outsourced agency to require the agency to ensure immunity of personnel employed/engaged by it and maintain up-to-date records, but the agency does not do so, who is responsible?
If we engage an external vendor for a one-off event, but the vendor needs to make multiple trips to our institution or travel between multiple healthcare institutions under our cluster for this one-off event, is the vendor exempted from the immunity requirement?
