Vaccination Roll Out

[Lynmax]

The news today is that they are splitting the vaccine into doses of 75 and taking it into care homes with more than 50 residents as staff there will be included. Unfortunately my mum lives in a care home with 42 residents so it looks as if she will miss out. If she was living alone I think she would have already had the vaccine as her doctors surgery has called in all their patients aged 85 and above.

 

[anxious annie]

My mum will miss out too @Lynmax as she's in a small home of about 24 ( not sure as you don't see so many of the residents now, other than Facebook photos). I don't know why the GP can't give the vaccine to 2 small care homes in the town, there must be a way of working this out for the most vulnerable.

 

[Louise7]

I don't know why the GP can't give the vaccine to 2 small care homes in the town.

They can, but the larger homes are the initial priority. As per the NHS England Standard Operating Procedures (link in my previous post) GP's can split the vaccine down for delivering to smaller sized homes:

"PCNs may access Pfizer/BioTech vaccines for use in care homes as followed: • 75-dose pack(s) available for order and can be used for large care homes • 5-dose vial(s) extracted from 975-dose vaccine pack(s) ordered primarily for PCN site-based vaccinations, which can be used for smaller and medium sized care homes"

 

[anxious annie]

Thanks @Louise7 , will read this. Shame my mum isn't an equal priority as covid can spread rapidly through small care homes too. Am hoping the home will be prepared for the vaccine at short notice, but concerned that the manager is not at all proactive, no mention of consent forms. Wondering if these have to be sent out, signed and returned to the home (all takes time) or it can be a verbal agreement if short on time?

 

[Louise7]

@anxious annie I agree that covid can spread as rapidly though smaller care homes but analysis (by The Lancet & others) has shown that the larger the home the higher the likelihood of an outbreak.

All care homes were provided with some initial information about preparing for the vaccination roll out several weeks ago, and they will get advance notice of when the vaccine will be arriving. Mum's care home was given a weeks notice, and I received a phone call from them to ask if I consented to Mum receiving the vaccine but haven’t been asked to fill any form in. They did mention that I'd receive an email about the vaccination but due to the Christmas holiday period I guess they felt that ringing would be easier/quicker.

There are now consent templates available on the government website for care homes to use:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ent-forms-and-letters-for-care-home-residents

 

[Keith_Hobbs]

Think i depends where you are. Just checked on my local GP surgery web site and they haven't got any supplies of vaccine yet. So they anticipate doing over 80s early in the New Year. I'm based in N Bristol so it may vary in other cities/regions.

 

[Starting on a journey]

My mum had her first jab last Sunday (aged 90 midlands city). I
Noticed care workers leaving with people and one of my friends told me that her mum who lives in a small care home was taken by the home to the vaccination
Site!!
My mother in law (97) same city, still hasn’t heard. I spoke to a young woman who I knew as a child and they are working 12 hours shifts . We were there less than an hour and I was tired, mum had a coffee and a nap. No after effects reported. Just one very happy daughter and grandchildren