New laws mean pharmacists and paramedics will be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines

New laws mean a wider range of healthcare workers, including student nurses and doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists, paramedics, independent nurses and allied healthcare professionals, will be able to administer COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

The changes to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 which came into force on Friday will see the expanded workforce undergo a training programme to give the vaccines, which the government said will only be administered, once they have been proven to be safe and effective after robust clinical trials.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The NHS has vast experience in vaccinating millions of people against diseases every year.

“These legal changes will help us in doing everything we can to make sure we are ready to roll out a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it has passed clinical trials and undergone rigorous checks by the regulator.”

As well as expanding the workforce to administer vaccines, the changes to the law mean the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will be able to exceptionally grant temporary authorisation, pending the granting of a licence, for new vaccines and treatments needed to tackle public health threats - provided they meet the highest safety, quality and effectiveness standards and there’s a significant public health justification for doing so.

Deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: “COVID-19 vaccines are being developed at speed which, if successful, will save lives.

"All vaccines must undergo three stages of clinical trials and be assessed for safety and effectiveness by the regulator before they are given to patients."

If a vaccine is developed before 2021, the changes to the Human Medicine Regulations will bolster existing powers that enable the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise temporary supply for any treatment or vaccine needed to respond to a public health need.

This means that if a vaccine has been found to meet the safety, quality and effectiveness standards by the MHRA then vaccinations can begin without needing to wait for the European Medicines Agency which – up until the end of the transition period in 2021 - would have been the only body able to grant a licence.

Dr Christian Schneider, interim chief scientific officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, added: “Patient safety is our top priority. The independent Commission on Human Medicines will advise the UK government on the safety, quality and effectiveness of any potential vaccine. No vaccine will be deployed unless stringent standards have been met through a comprehensive clinical trial programme.

“The preferred route to enable deployment of any new vaccine remains through the usual product licensing processes.”

From 2021, the MHRA will have a national licensing system in place and will be responsible for granting licences for potential vaccines and treatments once they meet high standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.