COVID vaccination content
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Flu/Covid-19 Boost campaign – digital promo available
This year’s Health and Social Care Workers Winter Vaccinations campaign aims to encourage staff to get both their flu vaccine and their COVID-19 booster this autumn/winter.
The campaign focuses on the need for increased protection this winter when both flu and COVID-19 are likely to be circulating at higher levels. It highlights the fact that both viruses can be passed to a worker’s family, patients or the people they care for, even if they don’t have any symptoms. For more on the campaign and links to resources click here on the Vaccinations section of bulletin pages.
The campaign uses Aqua Blue and Amber coloured outlines around people working in health and social care as a visual symbol of the “rings of immunity” that having their vaccines creates.
By showing a range of roles in a variety of indoor settings, it communicates that getting both vaccines is a preventative measure that all health and social care workers should take.
In this toolkit you will see a range of printed, digital and social assets that will help you to promote winter vaccinations amongst health and social care workers and encourage them to take both vaccines when offered. You can download digital assets from the Campaign Resources Centre.
Asymptomatic testing paused
Following ministers decision to pause asymptomatic testing in social care workforce, the NHS, prisons and other settings, asymptomatic testing will also end for visitors and visiting professionals to care homes. These pieces of guidance have been updated to reflect the changes that were announced in Summer 2022.
- The COVID-19 Supplement
- Social Care Testing Guidance
- Watch out for more detail in our members bulletins pages
Covid, Flu and winter planning
All over-50s to be offered COVID-19 booster and flu jab this autumn
Flu/COVID-19 H&SCW winter campaign - printed materials
This year’s Health and Social Care Workers Winter Vaccinations Campaign printed assets have just gone live on the Campaign Resource Centre. Printed materials for the campaign are available to pre-order until 31 August and will be delivered in September. To order printed materials please click here.
You can find our summary on the vaccination programme below, to help give you some guidance on the booster and flu jab programmes happening this Autumn and Winter:
Everyone aged 50 and over will be among those offered a COVID-19 booster and a flu jab in the autumn under plans to increase protection against respiratory viruses ahead of winter by the government.
COVID-19 booster - those eligible for a further dose will be:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
- Frontline health and social care workers*
- All adults aged 50 and over
- Those aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group**, including pregnant women
- Those aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- Those aged 16 to 49 years who are carers***
Steps to take in your service to enable boosters
The steps you need to take to prepare for autumn vaccinations for residents and staff are set out on the Skills for Care website find more on preparing for the Autum boosters here and advice and a checklist on consent and preparation here .
Flu vaccine
The government are also offering the free flu vaccine to additional groups. These groups will only be eligible once the most vulnerable, including previously announced pre-school and primary school children, those aged 65 years and over and those in clinical risk groups, have been offered the jab.
The NHS will announce in due course when and how eligible groups will be able to book an appointment for their COVID-19 autumn booster, and when people aged 50 to 64 years old who are not in a clinical risk group will be able to get their free flu jab.
DHSC and NHSE have published two documents in relation to the autumn booster campaign:
A letter from Jenny Firth, Deputy Director of Adult Social Care Operational Resilience. A NHSE countdown checklist which is linked below.
The letter highlights what care homes can do to prepare for the vaccination of care home staff and residents. This includes getting all the consents necessary in place as well as flu vaccinations. It also encourages staff to book COVID-19 booster via the National Booking Service as soon as they are eligible. Below is the latest consent forms for care homes. We will update this page with latest guidance for other parts of the sector as this emerges.
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Consent forms
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The links below are gudiance that was released some time ago, and will be updated when we recieve them for the current situation.
MCA and Vaccine
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SCIE has updated its webpage on Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the COVID-19 crisis and along side 5 webinars on MCA and Covid. They have also recorded a webinar on The MCA and COVID Vaccinations in Care Homes which can be accessed here
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The Essex Chambers is a useful resource on MCA. They wrote a blog in December RAPID RESPONSE GUIDANCE NOTE: VACCINATION
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AND MENTAL CAPACITY
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Webinar from Restraint Reduction Network and BILD – includes MCA, reasonable adjustment such as safe holding. Also includes some great examples on how to create a plan and some interesting Q&A.
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Specific for learning disability
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COVID-19 Vaccine - Accessibility and reasonable adjustments for individuals with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour challenges - Guided is aimed at parents of people with LD but some good useful points on preparing for vaccine and reasonable adjustments
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People with learning disabilities and the coronavirus vaccine – information to support staff to work with people with learning disabilities on making decisions on having the vaccine from learning disability England.
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Easy read vaccine information – From Down syndrome association , Medcap – also an easy read FAQ and the government
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Easy Read Information about the Coronavirus Vaccine Coronavirus vaccine and Decision making Guide
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Easy Read consent form - Coronavirus vaccine Consent/ Best Interest Decision
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There is a helpful video from NHS England to continue supporting people to be well informed and exercise choice and control about the coronavirus vaccine.
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Coronavirus posters and audio versions - Photosymbols have produced a range of easy read posters. The posters are free to download, print and share. Audio versions are also available. https://www.keepsafe.org.uk/posters
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Knowledge and info about the vaccine
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40 min webinar Immunology Expert Talk- Covid-19 Vaccines and patient safety by Doctor Manon Ragonnet-Cronin https://bit.ly/3nj42SP - not specific for social care but it gives a good understanding of the vaccine, how it has been developed and how safe it is.
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Voice message here – Dr Villar's who gives a very good explanation on the pros and cons of the vaccine specific for social care staff. Very transparent that may help staff who are not sure about making the decision.
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GP Dr Sarah Jarvis on her top tips for how best to reassure those who may be concerned about getting the COVID-19 vaccine https://youtu.be/giOC5nmprXs
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RCN on Fertility risks from the vaccine: https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/RCOG-and-RCM-respond-to-misinformation-around-Covid-19-vaccine-and-fertility/
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Guidance about the vaccine for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
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The British Islamic Medical association statement on the vaccine. https://britishima.org/pfizer-biontech-covid19-vaccine/
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COVID-19 vaccines and aborted fetuses - Factcheck- https://factcheckni.org/articles/covid-19-vaccines-and-aborted-fetuses/
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The Vatican’s position- https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2020-12/uk-bishops-astra-zeneca-covid-vaccine-not-sin.html
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Church of England’s position - https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/COVID%2019%20Vaccines%20update%20v1.0.pdf
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A comprehensive webpage – this is for North London but has lots of useful links and information. https://northcentrallondonccg.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccination-information/ and especially this FAQ for care home link is useful https://northcentrallondonccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/London-care-home-Covid-vaccine-FAQs-9-12-20-v1.pdf
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