The Pharmacy Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has asked all community pharmacy contractors to complete formalities to allow pharmacy staff to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The PSNC’s latest update came after NHS urged health and social care workers, including community pharmacy staff, to book their vaccination appointments in vaccination site or community pharmacy through the national booking service to ensure maximum vaccination uptake.
Community pharmacy staff should try online booking first, but if this is not possible, they can phone 119 free of charge from 07am – 11pm, seven days a week, the NHS has said in a letter to all primary care contractors.
Health and social care workers will be able to book this way for a limited period, until February 28, 2021, NHS said on Thursday (Feb 11).
As part of the booking process, eligible staff will need to self-declare they are a health or social care worker and they will be asked for identification and written authorisation when they attend their vaccination appointment.
The identification and authorisation includes a work photo ID card, a signed letter of authorisation from their employer or wage slip that is dated within the last three months. “Where work photo ID is not available, alternative photographic identification is required to support verification,” the PSNC said.
The regional teams have been asking contractors to report the proportion of their frontline staff who have been given a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine to ensure that all those in the first four priority groups have been vaccinated by mid-February.
