COVID-19: 12th May COVID-19 round-up for primary care
COVID-19 has affected us all in one way or another. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and looking after our staff is a priority for the NHS.
We have support offers to suit a range of different needs, including staff and bereavement support lines if you need to talk to someone, confidential coaching support and wellbeing apps. You can access clinical mental health support through the staff hubs or use the free apps to look after your wellbeing. Find out more and access support here. You can also access Every Mind Matters to get a free, personalised mental health action plan with practical tips to help boost your mood.
Today is also International Day of the Nurse and a chance to celebrate the fantastic work of all the nurses in general practice. They are vital members of the general practice team, have done so much to support patients during this challenging year and have been instrumental in the COVID-19 vaccine programme. Follow and share your stories via #IND2021.
Evidencing COVID-19 vaccinations for international travel
Following the ministerial announcement on Friday 7 May which mentioned the impending lift of international travel on the 17 May, and subsequently the need to evidence COVID-19 vaccinations before travelling to international destinations, NHSX arranged for initial information to be made available online on GOV.UK.
The information will support the public with any initial enquiries they may have and is designed to divert enquiries away from primary care.
Countries will decide whether they require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry, and it is the traveller’s responsibility to check individual requirements. If needed, people in England who have both vaccine doses will be able to demonstrate their COVID-19 vaccination status via the NHS App from 17 May. Those without access to the app can request a letter from the NHS proving their vaccination status by calling 119.
More information will become available this week, which NHSX will cascade via existing primary care channels.
Every vaccination gives us hope - campaign materials
Distribution of patient-facing materials (e.g. posters and leaflets) for the ‘Every vaccination gives us hope’ campaign should arrive in pharmacies and GP practices between Thursday 13 and Tuesday 18 May. There will be a small number of additional packs that can be ordered via Public Health England’s Campaign Resource Centre from Monday 24 May for any pharmacies and GP practices that have not received a pack.
Referring patients with minor illness symptoms to a community pharmacist
Practices can refer patients contacting them with minor illness symptoms for a same day consultation with a community pharmacist, using the referral pathway to the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service.
The RCGP are hosting a webinar on 27 May to explain how the referral pathway works, the benefits to practices and patients and how to start using it, hearing from GPs, practice managers and pharmacists. For more information on the pathway visit the CPCS Future NHS page.
Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey 2021 launched
The Community Pharmacy Workforce Survey (CPWS) 2021 was launched by Health Education England on 7 May and will close by mid-June. The CPWS 2021 aims to provide an up-to-date picture of the size and shape of the community pharmacy workforce (including locums) in order to:
- inform workforce planning and future investment in education and training for the entire community pharmacy workforce;
- guide the overall workforce development strategy for the NHS; and
- inform on community pharmacy’s current contribution to local health systems across England – e.g. Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and Integrated Care Systems (ICSs).
COVID-19: 13th May COVID-19 round-up for primary care
Thank you again for your continued support as we navigate a busy and increasingly complex landscape.
Guidance on the phased easing of COVID-19 restrictions continues to be issued by government, in line with the Coronavirus roadmap out of lockdown, with services following and adapting accordingly.
As such, ahead of government rules on social distancing changing from 17 May, we would like to draw your attention to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which will be published shortly, and which will update and replace previous guidance. We know you have been asking for this guidance to provide further clarity.
This guidance outlines:
- GP practices must all ensure they are offering face to face appointments
- Patients and clinicians should have a choice of consultation mode. Patients’ input into this choice should be sought and practices should respect preferences for face to face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary, for example the presence of COVID symptoms
- All practice receptions should be open to patients, adhering to social distancing and IPC guidance.
- Patients should be treated consistently regardless of mode of access.
This letter contains further detail and support.
Thank you again for all that you are doing.
Starting to open to cohort 11 to 38 and 39 year olds to be vaccinated
From today, text messages will be sent to people in cohort 11, starting with 38 and 39 year olds, inviting them to book their vaccination appointments through the National Booking System. Decisions will be made on the phasing for the rest of cohort 11 in due course.
In line with JCVI guidance, the National Booking Service now allows people in this age group, without an underlying health condition, to book into an appointment offering an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
As an update to the operational note we sent on Friday 7 May, we will also re-contact people that we contacted last week, following the JCVI announcement, who were booked in for their first dose of AstraZeneca, to let them know that they can now re-book into an appointment for an alternative to AstraZeneca.
Changes to National Booking Service (NBS)
- Health and social care self-declare booking function re-enabled: As NBS functionality has now changed in line with JCVI guidance on use of AstraZeneca vaccine, the self-declare function that allows frontline eligible health and social care workers to book through the NBS, will be reenabled from today.
- Pregnant women: the new NBS functionality will enable pregnant women to book appointments at a site that offers the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine following a series of screening questions. This is in line with JCVI guidance and the Green Book.
Every woman who is pregnant or thinks she might be, should be offered a discussion on the potential risks and benefits of vaccination with a clinician, so that she can make an informed choice about whether to receive it. Pregnant women will be able to have a conversation with a healthcare professional at their vaccination appointment or can speak to their maternity team or GP service.
Community health services and COVID-19
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, community health providers have stepped up and shown their value, flexibility and resilience in the face of unprecedented challenges. This new infographic from the Community Network – which is hosted by the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers – outlines the vital contribution of community providers, particularly during the COVID-19 response, and what support they need to sustainably deliver services and meet new challenges created by the pandemic. A blog has also been published focusing on community providers at the heart of the COVID-19 recovery.
COVID-19 vaccination status
From 17 May, COVID-19 vaccination status will be available for people living in England, for international travel, via the NHS App or by calling 119 to request a letter copy.
Communications materials are available for GP practices and primary care to use on websites and voicemail. More information can be found on the GOV.UK website. Please also see information on how to use the NHS App.
Vaccination certificates and data quality issues regarding vaccinations data
In the LVS bulletin of 7 May, we gave you some information about how to resolve data quality issues around the Covid vaccination. There is advice and FAQs from NHS Digital, and if you need further advice, contact the Vaccines Support Desk on 0300 200 1000 or the Vaccination Data Quality Support Team via email: vaccinedq.issues@nhs.net.
As above, Vaccination Certificates (status) will be launched on 17 May, and from 14 May, patients will not need to contact their GP to access COVID-19 vaccination history as this will be available through the NHS App. This should reduce calls to your practice.
We have also minimised the instances where a data quality issue could prevent a Vaccination Certificate being issued which will minimise the number of patients contacting you about Certificate related data quality problems.
Where patients do still have errors in their COVID-19 vaccination record, it is important that these are corrected and GP practices should either:
- Use Pinnacle to make any amends rather than making changes directly into the patient GP record, for patients vaccinated at a PCN-led site;
- Or for patients vaccinated at a hospital hub, vaccination centre, community pharmacy, or a PCN grouping outside the patient’s own practice, GP practices should use the phone number or email address above to flag the error and get it corrected.
We are working as a matter of urgency to simplify the support model, reducing GP workload further and improving the service for patients. We will give you more details as soon as possible.
If a patient has an issue relating to the Vaccine Certificate process itself, rather than issues relating to vaccines data quality or contact details in their demographic record, please direct them to contact 119.
