Routine vaccination programmes must continue in Scotland

The Secretary for Health in Scotland Jeanne Freeman has written to each Health Board in Scotland to inform them that they should take steps to establish whether and to what extent these programmes can continue to be provided by GP practices during the current Coronavirus outbreak.

The letter comes after the previous Chief Medical Officer’s letter of 20th March which informed Health Boards that immunisation programmes should not be classified as non-urgent work.

Jeanne Freeman said in the letter that where there is a risk that general practice will not be able to provide vaccinations or immunisations on time (as recommended by the relevant schedule for the particular vaccination programme), in order to maximise benefits by protecting people at a time of the greatest risk from these infections, Health Boards should instead make other arrangements for the provision of those vaccinations and immunisations by persons employed or engaged by them or by other persons with whom they make arrangements.

She continues by saying that Health Boards should take steps to ensure that vaccinations and immunisations are provided to the normal timetable as far as possible, and should plan ahead to accommodate this.

Cabinet Secretary Jeanne Freeman commented:

“The Scottish Government is committed to income stability for GP practices while vaccination services are transferred to Health Board delivery as a result of the current outbreak and the terms of these directions.

“Practices who have previously contracted to deliver such services should therefore be paid as if they have completed the activity themselves.”

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