GP sites administering the Covid vaccine should give any leftover jabs to their staff members who have been identified to be most at risk, NHS England has said.
A letter sent earlier this week from NHS England advised that GP practices must select and contact patients for the first batch of vaccinations by today (9 December). This should prioritise patients over 80 years old, in the first instance, in line with JCVI advice.
But it added that in order to ‘ensure minimal wastage’ of vaccines ‘any unfilled appointments or residual supply of vaccine’ should be ‘used to vaccinate practice and PCN staff within the PCN grouping, who have been identified at highest risk of serious illness’ from Covid.
The letter said prioritisation should be based on risk assessments that should have been carried out ‘throughout the pandemic to identify such individuals’.
It reminded GPs that any women of childbearing age should not get pregnant within two months of their second vaccine dose.
Under the enhanced service to provide the vaccine, GP groupings have been told they must not waste any more than 5% of the vaccines they are provided with. However, NHS England has refused to clarify to Pulse whether there would be any penalties attached.
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Currently, this is turning out to be another Track/Trace debacle. Trickles of real world enthusiasm, more caution, anxiety and not sures! Lot of elderly are waiting. Deliberating with their entire family. There will be, Duffy predicts a 55-70% uptake. COMPLETELY pending on how convincing individual GP teams are, and the bother of their key staff to impart their golden trust (to substitute for the GovUK or PHEs!). 10-20% waste will come. Shame.