The COVID-19 vaccination programme this autumn will be similar to last year, with frontline health and social care workers included (although vaccination may pass to occupational health schemes in the future).
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI’s) advice to Government is that vaccination should be offered to those at high risk of serious disease, who are most likely to benefit from vaccination. This means the following groups will automatically be offered a COVID-19 vaccine this autumn:
- adults aged 65 years and over
- residents in a care home for older adults
- individuals aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group (as defined in tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book).
More from JCVI advises on eligible groups for autumn COVID-19 vaccination - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). NHS England will confirm details on how and when eligible people can access the autumn vaccine in due course.
The vaccine should usually be offered no earlier than around 6 months after the last vaccine dose.
The JCVI chose not to include health and social care workers in the initial list of those eligible for the national programme because it favoured health and social care service providers using their own occupational health scheme to vaccinate their staff.
However, because, as the JCVI acknowledge, time is too tight for providers to vaccinate staff using an occupational health scheme this autumn, JCVI suggest that UK health departments could choose to continue offering vaccination to health and social care workers through the national programme.
This approach has been adopted in England. Minister Andrew Gwynne announced earlier this week the decision to continue to offer vaccination to frontline health and social care staff, as well as staff working in care homes for older people, as part of the autumn 2024 national programme. More from: Government accepts advice on 2024 autumn COVID-19 vaccine programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
A written statement by Eluned Morgan MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, confirms a similar approach will be taken in Wales, although this says ‘it is anticipated this will be the last time a proactive offer is made to these groups [including health and social care workers], subject to the future public health position and ongoing review by the JCVI’. Written Statement: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation – final advice about eligibility for Covid-19 autumn vaccination in 2024 (2 August 2024) | GOV.WALES.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed that, in Northern Ireland, they will be adopting the JCVI recommendations for eligible groups for their national scheme this autumn, including frontline health and social care workers: Eligible groups for Covid-19 autumn booster announced | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk).
The NHS Scotland website notes that the JCVI has published its advice on a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme for this winter. It says invitations for those eligible for coronavirus and/or flu vaccine will start to be sent from late August.
The Homecare Association will continue to point out to policymakers that, unlike the health sector, social care providers commonly do not have occupational health schemes, so a shift of vaccination to such schemes would impact on our sector.
