Those with underlying health conditions in JCVI priority group 6 are a large and complex cohort to identify and contact. This process will take time, but our GPs have already begun this process, alongside delivering second doses of vaccine to those in priority groups 1 – 4 who are due their second dose.
The North Tyneside COVID vaccination programme has been an incredibly successful collaboration between the four NHS Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in North Tyneside, Social Care, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), TyneHealth GP Federation, the Local Authority and the Voluntary and Community Sector across the borough, having delivered 47,000 vaccines to date.
We appreciate how anxious people are to have the vaccine, especially those with underlying health conditions that make them or their loved ones vulnerable to COVID-19, and anyone who has received a new shielding letter from the government. Our teams are working flat out to make that happen as quickly as possible within the constraints of national vaccine supply, and we would ask for your patience at this time; the NHS will be in touch in the coming weeks to invite you for vaccine when it is your turn.
HOW LOCAL GPs WILL BE CONTACTING PEOPLE IN PRIORITY GROUP 6:
Local GP-led vaccination sites across North Tyneside are focusing initially on the clinically vulnerable from JCVI cohort 6 because of the relationship between general practice and those with long term conditions, and continuity of care.
GPs know from the medical records and are continually updating IT systems, to identify which individuals are eligible for the COVID vaccine in priority group 6 according to JCVI nationally agreed definitions and guidance.
The four Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in North Tyneside are currently in the process of contacting all clinically vulnerable people in priority group 6 to invite them for vaccination at one of the three North Tyneside local vaccination services located in Longbenton, North Shields (covering Whitley Bay and North Shields residents) and Wallsend. Please wait for them to contact you.
GPs are working together with secondary care colleagues in hospitals, across social care and the local authority, as well as with voluntary and community services in North Tyneside to ensure that all people in priority group 6 are contacted and invited for the vaccine in the coming weeks.
Primary Care has lots of experience leading successful vaccination programmes, such as the flu vaccine every year. We are drawing on this experience and the success of the vaccine rollout so far in North Tyneside, to ensure all those that are eligible are contacted by our local teams as soon as possible.
The logistics required to contact all people in priority group 6, as well as ensuring that second doses of vaccine are given when required, is complex. We are making great progress in North Tyneside, but vaccine supply will always be the biggest factor that determines how fast we can do this.
Our teams of NHS staff and volunteers will always do their utmost to try and accommodate different individual needs at all of our local GP-led vaccination services, within the constraints mentioned above. All of our sites are accessible and have clinical support on hand for those in our communities, and their carers, that may find the process of vaccination in a large, unfamiliar building stressful or difficult. If you need additional support, please let someone know when you arrive or when you book your appointment. It may not be possible to vaccinate members of the same household at the same time. However we will always try and make the process of vaccination as smooth as possible
If you are in priority group 6, or have received a new shielding letter in the post this week, please do not contact your GP at this time as this may prevent urgent calls from getting through. They will contact you by text or phone in the coming weeks to invite you for vaccination.
More information about the North Tyneside COVID Vaccination Programme, including FAQs and how to volunteer, can be found on the TyneHealth website: https://tynehealth.org.uk
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