COVID-19 Vaccination Service
Please always refer to the Community Pharmacy England COVID-19 Vaccination Hub here for the latest news and updates on the Autumn 2023/24 Booster Programme.
Links to key documents for the service, including the service specification, PGD and National Protocol for COVID-19 vaccines, can also be found under “key documents” here.
Update as of 2nd February 2024: NHSE has extended the contract for this service until 31st August 2024. Please see the Community Pharmacy England news story here.
Autumn COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: September 2023 to March 2024
NHS England (NHSE) has launched an expression of interest process for pharmacy owners to participate in the upcoming autumn COVID-19 Vaccination Service.
The process allows more pharmacies to join the service, but the fee for vaccinations has been reduced by 25% to £7.54, despite opposition from Community Pharmacy England and general practice representatives.
However, in a letter published on the 30th August 2023 (see here), NHSE has confirmed that additional payments will be made for vaccinations administered in September & October 2023 to boost acceleration of the programme (to support as many people as possible to be vaccinated by the end of October).
Pharmacies commissioned to provide COVID-19 vaccinations will now be eligible to claim:
- An additional acceleration payment of £10, (in addition to the item of service (IoS) fee), for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to care home residents between 11th September and Sunday 22nd October 2023 inclusive.
- A separate one-off additional payment of £200 for each completed care home by 23:59 on Sunday 22nd October 2023 that is confirmed to the commissioner by the submission of a live time survey no later than 23:59 on Sunday 29th October 2023.
To support the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccinations to other eligible cohorts:
- An additional £5 acceleration payment (in addition to the IoS fee) will be paid for each COVID-19 vaccination administered to other eligible people (i.e. excluding care home residents and housebound people, who are covered by the above arrangements) between 11th September and 31st October 2023.
Autumn Vaccination Programme Brought Forward
Due to the risks presented by the new BA.2.86 variant of COVID-19, the COVID-19 vaccination programme is being brought forward to start earlier than was initially planned (NHS England would like as many people as possible to be vaccinated by the end of October).
Revised timings for the programme:
- From 11th September 2023 vaccination for care home residents and those who are housebound should start, coordinated by Integrated Care Systems (ICS). NHS England is asking ICS to ensure that all residents are vaccinated before 22nd October 2023.
- From 11th September 2023, COVID-19 vaccinations can also commence for other eligible people via local booking systems, starting with those who are most at risk, including those who are immunosuppressed.
- On 18th September 2023, this will be complemented by the National Booking System (NBS) which will become available to allow eligible people to book a COVID-19 vaccination online (using NHS.uk), via the NHS App or by calling 119.
- National COVID-19 vaccination invitations will also start being issued to eligible patients from 18th September.
Wherever possible, patients should be offered flu vaccination at the same time as their COVID-19 vaccination.
Please refer to CPE Update (30 August): C-19 vaccination programme brought forward for further information.
Further information on the service, guidance and resources can be found on the Community Pharmacy England’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hub page.
Resources: COVID-19 Vaccination Autumn Guide
See the link below to where pharmacies can obtain the COVID-19 Vaccination Autumn Guide, which can be requested in multiple different languages. These can be downloaded or you can request paper copies of the leaflet.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-autumn-booster-resources
Clinical Records
There are several point of care (POC) IT systems, made available by NHS England, that pharmacy owners can choose to use to record the vaccination event. Clinical records must be made on the POC system as soon as is reasonably possible after the vaccination is administered and before the end of the same day that the vaccination was given.
Access information on the available POC systems
There is a COVID Vaccination Record Form available to assist with any business continuity issues (e.g. as a back-up in case the system is down). This can be downloaded using the link above.
Further information on the service, guidance and resources can be found on the Community Pharmacy England’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hub page.
Please visit NHS Futures website here for links to key information on the COVID National Delivery Programme, including details of how to escalate issues/contacts.
If you are unable to resolve your issue/query using the information on this page, please raise directly to the System Vaccination Operations Centre (SVOC) for West Yorkshire:
leedsth-tr.wyvaccineops@nhs.net
Please do not include personal identifiable information (PID) when raising via this route.
Contact Details
- Regional Vaccination Operations Centre (RVOC) for North East & Yorkshire – ney-vacc-cell@nhs.net
- System Vaccination Operations Centre (SVOC) for West Yorkshire – leedsth-tr.wyvaccineops@nhs.net
Note:
For Pinnacle queries – log a query or issue with Pinnacle.
Email: helpdesk@emishealth.com
For Foundry queries – log a query or issue with Foundry.
Email: Foundry.Support@england.nhs.uk
Last Updated: 20th December 2023
