COVID 19 Vaccination eligibility issue – Update and resources

NHS England confirmed messages were sent to under 75s booked via NBS for C-19 vacs to highlight the changes to eligibility and that their eligibility will be checked by pharmacy teams. See below, the following actions on updates :

• Amend the wording on NBS to highlight that eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination has changed this winter compared to last winter (NHS England made changes to the wording on Monday 6th October);
• Ensure links to further information on eligibility for vaccination are prominently displayed on NBS booking screens;
• Issue a message to patients who have already booked appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations via NBS to highlight the changes in eligibility and that this will be checked at the pharmacy (on the evening of Tuesday 7th October, NHS England sent emails and SMS to all people under 75 years of age with an NBS COVID-19 vac booking in the following 10 days);
• Issue NHS-branded communications materials that pharmacies can use to explain the change in eligibility to patients (a fact sheet for use with patients was published by NHS England on Monday 6th October); and
• Issue communications to remind general practice teams of the changes to the eligible cohorts (information is planned to be included in NHS England’s Primary Care Bulletin on Thursday 9th October).

CPE have been working with NHS England to improve communications and three posters have been created to support vaccine eligibility messaging https://cpe.org.uk/our-news/c-19-vac-eligibility-resources-to-help-pharmacy-teams/