In this issue:
Covid vaccination programme
UPDATE: Covid vaccination update
Meet our volunteers – Atim-Blossom
Other news
NEW: Leadership support circles – create safe spaces
Digital change manager
Long Covid guidance update
Covid vaccination programme
Covid vaccination update
We have now given over 36,500 Covid-19 vaccinations, of which > 10,000 are second doses, and ensured the coverage of our population with at least one dose to:
- > 91% of our care home population
- > 84% of our 65 and over population
- > 76% of our extended clinically extremely vulnerable population
- > 66% of our younger population (16-64) with underlying health conditions
- > 66% of our population aged 50-64
- > 34 % of our population aged 40-49
Practices are asked to focus on booking remaining patients from JCVI cohorts 1-9 and those aged 40-49 so that we minimise health inequalities. Please ensure you prioritise delivering vaccines to housebound patients and email Ryszard to book your vaccine administration supply.
Future vaccinations roll-out
Please ensure you invite and book patients into the right clinics on Accubook. We will be largely providing second dose vaccinations during May. Please review any patient who is eligible to have their second dose and book them into the appropriate clinics via Accubook. Practices can invite patients eight weeks after their first vaccination.
| Date | Vaccine | Booking | ||
| Friday 7 May | AZ – first and second doses | Fully booked | ||
| Saturday 8 May | AZ – first and second doses | Fully booked | ||
| Monday 10 May | AZ – first and second doses | Fully booked | ||
| Tuesday 11 May | AZ – first and second doses | Appointments available | ||
| Wednesday 12 May | AZ – first and second doses am, Pfizer second dose pm | Appointments in the morning | ||
| Thursday 13 May | Pfizer – second dose for up to 24 Feb first dose | Few appointments | ||
| Friday 14 May | Pfizer – second dose for up to 24 Feb first dose | Appointments available | ||
| Saturday 15 May | Pfizer – second dose for up to 24 Feb first dose am, AZ first and second dose pm | Appointments available | ||
| Monday 17 May | AZ – first and second doses | Appointments available | ||
| Tuesday 18 May | AZ – first and second doses | Appointments available | ||
Thank you to everyone who has provided staff to work in the vaccination clinic. We have started using more non-Health Care Professionals (HCP) vaccinators which may mean we can stand down some sessions for practice staff. These vaccinators are not from an NHS/general practice background and under the national protocols that govern the delivery of vaccines will require experienced and senior health care professionals to supervise them. This could be the GP lead for the session but may be nurses or other HCPs who are comfortable and confident to supervise non-HCPs.
Sessions in the vaccination clinic
The table below shows the number of GP leads, nurses and non-HCP sessions we currently get on a regular weekly basis. We require one GP lead per session plus a minimum of four other vaccinators.
Other practices, GP volunteers and some locum staff will provide staff on an irregular basis to fill around some of these sessions. Gaps remain for GP leads and/or HCPs on certain days which will impact on ability to plan for non-HCP vaccinators to cover sessions.
We therefore ask again for practices to commit GP lead/HCP sessions on dates on a regular basis, reviewing the gaps below, to enable us to deliver the model you have asked us to develop. Please discuss with any individual that they will be responsible for supervising non-HCPs who will not be coming from an NHS/practice background.
We are starting this model on a 1:1 basis of HCP: non-HCP but as this develops would hope that an HCP could supervise a number of non-HCPs to deliver the service.
We hope as our model of committed session develop this will help practices plan their own internal rotas.
Unfilled GP lead vaccinator sessions
We currently have the following sessions unfilled:
- Thursday 13 May – lead GP PM
- Friday 13 May – lead GP PM
- Saturday 15 May – two vaccinators AM amd PM – registered HCP required to help supervise non-HCPs
- Monday 17 May – lead GP AM, one vaccinator PM – Registered HCP required to help supervise non-HCPs.
- Tuesday 18 May – lead GP AM
Pathway for patients – alternatives to Astra Zeneca for eligible patients
The JCVI has advised that there are currently eligible patients for vaccination who should now be offered an alternative to the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine. There is now a referral pathway for such patients to GSTT who will offer an alternative vaccine when available.
These eligible patients are:
- People aged 18-29 years.
- Pregnant women in the currently prioritised JCVI cohorts.
- People aged 16- and 17-years who are a carer, on the Learning Disabilities register, are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable or are working or training for health and social care work.
- Patients whereby the use of the AZ COVID-19 vaccine is contraindicated which includes patients with a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT or HIT type 2).
This pathway is not for people who express a preference for the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or who are not keen or willing to accept AZ vaccine.
We are asking practices to:
- Review patients before booking them into the vaccine clinic to see if they meet the criteria for one of the alternative vaccines. You may find this decision aid useful when reviewing such patients.
- If they are eligible for an alternative vaccine please make the referral directly to GSTT using this attached referral form.
- If any patient is booked in or arrives at the vaccination clinic who falls into this category the Operations Lead for the day will refer them back to your practice via your practice email for you to make any referrals necessary. The vaccinators are not in a position to make referrals for patients on your behalf.
Clinical decisions about vaccine for your patients
We would encourage clinicians with questions about their individual patients to use their access to the current guidance from the green book or contact their expert colleagues in the Trusts using Advice and Guidance if necessary.
Contacting the vaccine centre
For any queries about the clinic, we have two ways that you can contact us on the day – by email or by mobile phone. However, these details must not be given out to patients as we do not have the staff to deal with patient queries.
Email address for queries: qhs.covidvaccination@nhs.net
Mobile telephone number: 07342676194
Meet our volunteers – Atim-Blossom
Our second article is now available on the QHS website. Meet Atim-Blossom, an Administrative Secretary with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark and a lawyer with a LLB Law degree. Blossom has been volunteering as a Marshal at the Artesian Covid Vccination Centre. You can learn more about the incredible work she has been doing for our north Southwark PCN here.
Other news
Leadership support circles – create safe spaces
South East London ICS are running a pilot programme to support the wellbeing of healthcare leaders and managers at a time of extraordinary demands on their resilience. This programme has been designed by NHS England and Improvement to provide safe time and reflective space for those responsible for managing others. For further information and to book a place, please follow this link.
Digital change manager
Are you or your colleagues looking for a change and want to use your digital skills across Southwark and SELCCG? We are looking to appoint to a 12 month digital change manager role for Southwark. You should have some working knowledge of Southwark GP practices, be able to travel to any GP site in the borough and have excellent people, communication and digital skills
If you are interested please see the job description here and either complete the brief expression of interest form or send your CV to Ryszard by 9 May 2021. The post would suit a full or part time secondment.
Long-covid guide
Please see here the revised follow-up pathway that includes the provision of the new long-covid clinics.
