GP practices in Cambridgeshire have been offered new staff from mass vaccination centres that are due to close next month.
Mass vaccination centres were set up across the country as part of the Covid vaccination programme at the start of 2021, alongside GP, community pharmacy and hospital-led vaccination sites.
But a recent Cambs LMC bulletin revealed that the local trust is now ‘winding up’ its mass vaccination centres and ‘looking to redeploy’ 268 members of staff within the local system, meaning ‘potential workforce’ is available for practices.
The LMC encouraged practices to submit ‘specific requests in terms of vacancies’ and said it ‘would be great if we could find as many as possible a happy home within general practice’.
Speaking on behalf of the Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS) NHS Trust, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB confirmed that all six vaccination centres across the area will close.
They said this is because the ICB has undertaken extensive modelling of resources and is confident that there is more than sufficient capacity via alternative providers to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations after December based on current eligibility criteria.
Staff available include stewards, administrators and unregistered vaccinators, as well as registered health care professionals, clinical site leads and operational leads, they added.
The ICB is looking to redeploy the staff into local services such as GP practices because it is keen to retain their unique skills and commitment in the local health and care system, they told Pulse.
The ICB spokesperson said: ‘Following a successful campaign to protect local people from Covid-19 over the last two years, our temporary large-scale vaccination centres will close over a two-week period leading up to 31 December 2022 after completion of the autumn booster programme allowing for the site to be de-commissioned in the interim period.’
They added that this is ‘in line with the timing of the national autumn booster programme’.
The spokesperson told Pulse: ‘We are working with staff on fixed-term contracts to identify future employment opportunities across our health and care partners and support the many bank staff and volunteers by sharing information and advice on alternative opportunities.
‘Our well-established Covid-19 vaccine programmes will continue to operate from alternate locations so that those eligible for a vaccination will be able to receive these via pharmacies and other local services closer to people’s homes, including our outreach programme which provides vaccinations in community locations, care homes and for the housebound.’
The National Audit Office (NAO) found in February that GP-delivered Covid jabs are better value for money than mass vaccination centres.
However, NHS England has invited GPs to share their views on plans for a new national vaccination strategy, saying it expects Covid jabs to become a ‘seasonal service’.
GPs previously raised concerns about the centres in the early days of the vaccination programme, warning that they caused DNAs from patients already booked in for jabs at their local practice as well as causing confusion and unnecessary travel.
Meanwhile, the autumn Covid booster programme is currently underway, with more than 10 million boosted so far according to NHS England.
But the Government last month launched a new marketing campaign urging eligible people to come forward for their flu and Covid vaccines, amid a drop in uptake among some groups.
“a happy home within general practice”
Really?
A lot of the skill mix is not applicable to GP land .Do the registered professional really really want to join is in the muddy filthy front line after their stint in the walk in centres and how long would they last with our clients . Mmm more Putinesk blue sky thinking with these new conscripts.
Maybe it means they don’t then have to pay a redundancy payment,me cynical mmm.
Yet another attempt to dump the problems of NHS onto GP surgeries – this time redundancy payments.
And is there a risk they may suddenly be recalled out of GP planned clinics to return to MVCs when a new booster or actually effective vaccine is available?
Hmmm “stewards, administrators and unregistered vaccinators, as well as registered health care professionals, clinical site leads and operational leads” – what are the chances that all of the above (except registered health care professionals) suddenly become eligible for ARRS funding?
This is great for Cambridge – 268 members of staff that can talk to panic attacks, IBS and festive sleep problem hangover and questionable UTIs will be a saviour.
Redundancy payments would be pretty trivial for short duration of service.
We have recruited/poached some great employees from the covid vaccination service – IT literate and FAST, DBS ok, not afraid of shift work – pretty much try before you buy….