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Letter from Helen Whately, Minister for Care
Department of Health and Social Care
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COVID-19 vaccinations and care homes: programme launch
Helen Whately, Minister for Care, has written to care homes [for older adults], local authority chief executives, and directors of adult social services, outlining plans for getting the first COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) to care home staff, from the first day vaccinations are available.
Last week, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations confirmed that adult social care is in its top priority groups for vaccination. Group 1 is 'residents in a care home for older adults and their carers' and Group 2 includes 'frontline health and social care workers'.
The letter advises that:
- The initial focus is on vaccinating care home workers and the over 80s
- Vaccines will be available from Tuesday 8 December 2020, initially in up to 50 Hospital Hubs across England
It also sets out a number of steps care home managers should take in preparation for the vaccinations:
- put together staff lists, including basic details (name, gender, date of birth, NHS number, GP details) for each staff member
- be ready to provide each staff member with a letter confirming their employment in the care sector
- keep staff records of vaccinations and report via the Capacity Tracker (as you do with flu vaccination)
- consider the covid-secure logistics of releasing staff to receive their vaccine, while maintaining staffing levels within their home. Practical and implementable plans should be in place from early next week
- take steps now to ensure that staff understand need for obtaining consent, so that they in turn can help residents and families to complete the necessary forms when a vaccine is ready to be delivered within a care home. Once issued, these forms will provide additional information about the vaccine they are receiving.
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This communication has been sent by the Care Quality Commission on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
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