Vaccine booking system now open to frontline care workers in England

Frontline care workers in England, who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccination, can book an appointment for one through the national booking service from today, in what was welcomed as “good news” by UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea. The move was announced on Twitter last night by care minister Helen Whately and comes after a recent survey found that only 32% of home care workers had received a first dose of vaccine. Earlier today, the Guardian reported that more than 40% of staff at the country’s largest care home provider, HC-One, had not been offered the vaccine. Initially for a period of two weeks, all eligible frontline care workers can access their first vaccination via the booking service. This provides an additional option for employers and eligible frontline social care workers to access an appointment at a time and place that is convenient for them. Social care workers can book a vaccination appointment with a local authority-issued notice of eligibility. They can now also use a recent letter from their employer, along with photo identification confirming their place of work. They need to be registered with a GP surgery in England to use the service. For those who do not have a work photo ID, then as a minimum, a letter from their employer, together with another form of photo ID, will be needed. Social care workers should inform their employers of their vaccination to enable this to be included in data returns. UNISON member Tracey Morrigan is a...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News care workers Covid-19 vaccine Source Type: news