The start of the autumn Covid vaccination programme in England has been brought forward due to concerns over a new variant, and GPs will receive additional payments for each dose delivered.
At the beginning of this month, NHS England published the enhanced service specification for Covid vaccines setting out that GPs will be paid £7.54 for each vaccine administered – down from £10.06 – and continue to be paid £10 for each housebound patient.
But the programme is now due to start on 11 September instead of 1 October, for completion by the end of October.
Meanwhile, GPs are going to be paid an additional £5 per dose and an additional £10 for care homes, plus a £200 completion payment per home.
In a letter to GPs, NHS England national director for vaccination Steve Russell said: ‘While it is difficult to predict the combined effect of the large number of mutations on severity, vaccine escape and transmissibility, expert advice is clear that this represents the most concerning new variant since Omicron first emerged.
‘The UKHSA has determined the most appropriate intervention with the greatest potential public health impact is to vaccinate all those eligible, quickly.
‘Following this advice, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has asked NHS England to bring the vaccination programme forward, to start earlier, and to accelerate delivery of the programme to vaccinate eligible people more quickly.
‘We would like as many people as possible to have been vaccinated by the end of October. DHSC are providing additional support to the NHS to enable this to happen.’
The deadline for the sign up and expression of interest process will be extended until 5pm on 4 September and the eligible cohorts remain unchanged.
The initial fee reduction had prompted the BMA to issue a patient safety warning.
The fee had already been reduced from £12.58 last year, when the BMA advised GPs to review whether they were still able to fulfil the ES commitments.
Meanwhile, GP practices in Wales have seen a last-minute reduction to their fee for administering Covid vaccines from £12.58 to £10.03 – and a removal of bonus payments.
Directions published last week by the Welsh Government confirmed that GPs will be paid the standard vaccination fee to deliver the Covid vaccine.
In Scotland, the fee has remained £12.58 per Covid dose since 2021.
NHS England is currently working on aligning payments for flu and Covid vaccinations paid to GP practices but will not achieve this goal before 2025/26 at the earliest.
As it stands, NHS England flu vaccination payments are made directly to GP practices while Covid vaccination payments are made to PCNs.
A national vaccination strategy for England is expected before the end of the year.
What the letter says
Commissioned providers will now be eligible to claim:
• An additional acceleration payment of £10 (in addition to the IoS fee) for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to care home residents between Monday 11 September and Sunday 22 October 2023 inclusive; and
• A separate one-off additional payment of £200 for each Completed Care Home by 23.59hrs on Sunday 22 October 2023 that is confirmed to the Commissioner by the submission of a live time survey no later than 23.59hrs on Sunday 29 October 2023.
To support the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccinations to other eligible cohorts:
• An additional £5 acceleration payment (in addition to the IoS fee) will be made available for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to eligible people between 11 September and 31 October 2023 (excluding care home residents, housebound people, and any health and care worker vaccinations commissioned under the NHS Standard Contract).
The clunky it and hoops to jump through means it not worth doing.
Don’t do it not worth it.
Laurel and Hardy in action.
So early August new varient covid starts circulating- warnings by PHE and GPs to get vaccinated.
Mid August, Flu and Covid are put back 1 month to 7th October. Threat of no fees for Sept if we do. Also vaccination fee cut by 25%. Strong message to delay 1 month (why?) and cut fees, losing goodwill.
Use September to give Child Flu they say, however, this actually not availble iin a ny numbers -not possible.
Lots of protestations by GPs about having to cancel clinics, and BMA aboout contract breach.
Reluctant message “vaccinate if you must” in Sept from DH.
Now complete reversal, all covid must be given in Sept, with financial incentives for September delivery. But back to lower fee for October onwards.
Who is actually running this campaign?
What a complete and utter shambles.
We alongside most other PCN in Derbyshire refused the initial covid contract offer.
The revised offer is doable.
NHSE are a joke
The leadership and uncertainty is appalling. Cutting vaccine provision cost goes against inflation and goodwill.
Had they decided not to damage goodwill by cutting 25% from the tariff which had already been cut by 20%. Then this might have been doable with enough time time to plan and do of course.At this point with a slight increased tariff a tight time frame and no reprieve to QOF, IIF and the enormous access pressures then it is just impossible 😩
Yet more more evidence of ‘the inmates running the asylum’.