Birmingham City Council (BCC) advice following guidance and recommendations from the DfE and UKHSA.
Updated advice leading on from our DFE guidance on the measles outbreak published on 23 January 2024.
The following advice may differ if your school does not use BCC as their ER provider therefore please contact your ER provider if you have any specific queries regarding staffing.
BCC advise that for unvaccinated staff who are instructed by a medical professional to remain off work due to contact with a confirmed case or like case, the manager should hold a discussion with the individual to discuss options. During this discussion the staff member should be encouraged to get vaccinated, where possible, as recommended by UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA). Managers can direct individuals to work from home or where this is not possible, as the duties and responsibilities of the role do not enable home working, managers may consider paid leave. Schools can determine locally whether this leave would be paid or unpaid.
Public Health advise schools to contact UKHSA to seek advice on specific cases:
- UKHSA will do risk assessments on a case-by-case basis
- UKHSA will determine if a person needs to stay away from school, and if so, for how long
Contact details for the UKHSA West Midlands Health Protection Team are:
Call: 0344 225 3560 (option 9)
Email: wmmeaslescell@ukhsa.gov.uk