GPs receive funding boost to vaccinate housebound

 

The NHS will pay GPs in England an additional £10 for every Covid vaccination they deliver to someone who is housebound as part of the drive to protect the most vulnerable people as swiftly as possible.

 

People aged 70 and over can arrange to be jabbed at a Vaccine Centre or pharmacy service or wait to be contacted by their local GP service or hospital.

 

GPs are also visiting those who cannot leave home to ensure that they are also protected. They will receive an additional £10 on top of the standard vaccination fee for all every housebound person they vaccinate. Some GP services working in towns and cities have been vaccinating more than 100 people with conditions such as dementia, each day. GPs and healthcare teams in rural areas have been driving through heavy snow to protect housebound people in rural areas.

 

The £10 per visit additional funding recognises the extra staff time and complexity of vaccinating the housebound. The supplement also applies retrospectively to any vaccinations which have already been administered to people at home.

 

Priority groups for vaccination in this initial phase were determined by the government following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and cover people aged 70 and over, the clinically extremely vulnerable, NHS workers and care home residents and staff.

 

The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, and has seen more than 10 million people jabbed in England in a matter of weeks.

 

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS medical director for primary care, said:

 

“Tremendous efforts have been made by GPs across the country to ensure we vaccinate those people who are in the priority cohorts as determined by the JCVI.

 

“Since the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use and we began administering it on 4 January when Brian Pinker became the first person to receive the jab, my colleagues across the country have been prioritising the vaccination programme rollout which is our biggest chance of beating this virus.

 

“Please remember the NHS will be in touch with you when it’s your turn to be vaccinated.”

 

This circular is being shared under the Open Government Copyright licence.