GPs start vaccinating residents in England's care homes

GPs are ordering extra amounts of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine to begin vaccinating larger care homes in England from this week.

Care homes with over 50 beds are reported to be getting the vaccine first.

In an email guidance bulletin sent to GPs on 20 December, GPs were told:

‘Over the next few days we will initiate the delivery of the vaccine through local vaccination sites to care home residents and their staff, starting with larger care homes.

‘The roll out will begin during week commencing 21 December through wave 1, 2 and 3 sites, followed shortly by local vaccination sites in later waves.

‘Please order additional vaccine in order to vaccinate your care homes.

‘Our priority is to now vaccinate our care home residents and staff, and continue to vaccinate over 80s and health care workers.'

The email also said GPs can order a full pack of the vaccine (975 doses) 'and pack down yourself, or order packs of 75 doses to take straight in to your care homes’.

The NHS’ standard operating procedure, document has been updated on 18 December with a new care home section.

It stated: ‘Providers should seek to minimise the number of unnecessary visits to care homes to mitigate potential risk to residents.

‘A minimum 4 visit schedule is recommended'.

• Dose 1- all (or most) residents and staff on site

• Second visit- 1 week later to capture staff or residents who were unavailable on the day

• Dose 2- scheduled for the period of time specified by the vaccine manufacturer

• Fourth visit- to capture outstanding doses one week later

Advice for care homes vaccinations

Employers must confirm that staff have scheduled and received their flu vaccination at least seven days prior to the care home visit.

Providers must ensure PCN [Primary Care Network] staff testing is in place and all members of the vaccination team should take a PCR / LFT test prior to visiting care homes to mitigate risk of PCN staff testing positive on arrival.

Care homes must make sure the site set-up includes having a sensible place for the cool box (minimising risk to the cold chain), a sterile area for dilution / reconstitution of vials, an area for administering vaccines, and an area and system for post observation of residents.

The NHS' standard operating procedure document also states: ‘Where possible, residents should be vaccinated close to where the vaccine is prepared to minimise movement of the vaccine following reconstitution (i.e. residents should move to vaccinators rather than vaccinators moving around care homes).

It states a single vaccinator may achieve 30 vaccinations per half-day (i.e. two vaccinators: 60; four vaccinators: 120).

The vaccine must be kept between 2-8 degrees Celsius. Time out of the temperature-controlled environment is advised to be kept to a minimum.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that the swift transfer of thawed vaccine from the PCN sites fridge (where is stored at 2-8C) to a validated cool box, under the control of a healthcare professional , ‘is acceptable, in the absence of data from Pfizer to suggest adverse impact on the vaccine’.