GPs told it's 'reasonable' to refuse to give autumn booster in care homes

Doctors have been told by the British Medical Association (BMA) that it is 'entirely reasonable’ for them not to give the Autumn Covid booster vaccine in care homes because GPs ‘need to be appropriately resourced to do this workforce-intensive work’.

With autumn Covid booster vaccinations beginning in care homes since 5 September, GPs were asked by NHS England to complete care home vaccinations by 23 October, however, in its GP bulletin, the doctors’ union BMA told GPs: ‘We were unable to secure concessions sufficient for us to endorse this programme.

'Cannot absorb additional workload'

‘We know that general practice cannot absorb additional workload pressures in the lead-up to winter.

‘Some practices and PCNs may feel that they can take up NHSE/I’s offer, either because they have the capacity to spare or because this is broadly in line with how they have planned to administer care home vaccines anyway. We fully support these practices and PCNs in their efforts. Other practices will decide not to take part, and we want to reassure you that it would be entirely reasonable to forgo this offer’.

‘Prescriptive, bureaucratic and underfunded’

At the start of September, NHS England announced GPs would be incentivised to deliver accelerated Covid-19 vaccinations in over-65 and under-65 adult care homes with payments of up to £525 per completed care home.

For each ‘completed’ care home, GP-led vaccination teams will receive:

• £150 for each small care home of 1-10 residents

• £275 for each medium care home of 11-49 residents

• £400 for each large care home of 50-149 residents

• £525 for each very large care home of 150-250 residents

NHS England has stated ‘completed’ care homes are those where the maximum number of eligible residents have been vaccinated. The incentive will be paid for each care home completed by the deadline.

The BMA told GPs: ‘As it stands, we found the proposal unduly prescriptive, overly bureaucratic, and underfunded. We made several suggestions to try to remove these barriers, which NHSE/I declined to adopt, and there was no appetite to increase the funds available above £3.5m (assuming 100% uptake and success).

‘We fully appreciate the importance of vaccinating the most vulnerable as soon as possible, in line with JCVI guidance. However, practices and PCN groupings need to be appropriately resourced to do this workforce-intensive work. They also need sufficient time to plan, make workforce arrangements, and order vaccines.’

NHS England has stated St John Ambulance volunteers are still available to support care home vaccinations.

Meanwhile, GP practices have been told they can close on the new bank holiday Monday 19 September for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, but NHS England has stated care home visits for COVID-19 booster jabs should go ahead as scheduled.