Agenda item

The Board considered a presentation from Jo Reeves (Agenda Item 5) relating to the Vaccination Programme. Key points from the presentation were as follows:

·         The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance had been updated and recommended that the booster be updated to include all adults aged 18+, to be offered in descending age groups with priority to older adults and at-risk groups.

·         Severely immuno-suppressed people should be offered a booster two months after their third primary dose.

·         Moderna and Pfizer would be offered.

·         Children aged 12-15 should be offered a second dose a minimum of 12 weeks from the first dose.

·         Deployment guidance had just been issued.

·         The National Booking System would be updated to reflect the three-month interval from second dose to booster and would go live no later than 13 December

·         Capacity was being increased across existing sites and new sites were being invited to sign up.

·         Guidance for the 12-15 year olds second dose would be published separately – this was likely to involve school immunisation teams again.

·         Pharmacies had increased capacity – the Kennet Centre facility had moved to a larger unit and Graham Jones Pharmacy in Lambourn had increased capacity – both sites were bookable via the National Booking Service.

·         A booster vaccine pop-up clinic would be in Hungeford between 8-17 December (bookable via westberks.gov.uk/coronavirusvaccination) – this would have limited walk-in availability and would only be dealing with boosters for people aged 40+.

·         The Health on the Move Van would offer up to 200 1^st, 2^nd and booster doses per day for people aged 16+:

o   Kintbury Coronation Hall – 14-15 December 10am-6pm

o   Thatcham Catholic Hall – 16 December 10am-5pm

o   Riverside Community Centre – 17 December 10am-5pm

o   Woolhampton Village Hall – 18 December 10am-6pm

The Chairman summarised feedback received from Graham Jones:

·         He considered it a worthwhile and fulfilling role, and he was pleased to be part of the vaccination programme.

·         Patient feedback had been excellent.

·         The community response (e.g. volunteers) had been great.

·         Immunosuppressed patients found it difficult to book their booster, since the system did not recognise that they needed four doses.

·         Patients were being sent to vaccination centres that were not local to them (e.g. Lambourn residents to Wantage and vice versa) – he wanted to tailor his programme to local needs.

·         He had received NHS permission to do evening sessions for the clinically vulnerable and immunosuppressed, which would be outside the National Booking System.

·         The pop-up clinic in Hungerford would help to relieve pressure in Lambourn.

·         Some patients were getting boosters at pop-up clinics, but did not then cancel their booking at the pharmacy, so the pharmacy had to confirm and then contact people on the reserve list.

·         There had been a limit on the number of vaccines available, but this pressure was easing.

·         He was awaiting permission for a second vaccination pod.

·         There did not appear to be any clinical evidence for asking people to wait 15 minutes after having received their vaccine.

Councillor Dominic Boeck asked if the Health on the Move Van could serve communities in the east of the district. Jo reeves explained that availability of sites was affected by Christmas bookings. She also noted that the Primary Care Network in the east of the district was participating in the vaccination programme, so there was less need for the mobile facility than in central and western areas.

The Chairman noted that the surgery in Mortimer was offering vaccinations in their own pharmacy, and the Boathouse Surgery in Pangbourne was also offering vaccinations.

Councillor Boeck noted that communities between Calcot and Thatcham did not have good access to surgeries or pharmacies.

Councillor Martha Vickers highlighted the information cards with details of local vaccination centres. She had put these in the library and Corn Exchange.  She also asked if walk-in vaccinations would be offered in locations other than Hungerford. She thought that the Kennet Centre were offering walk-in appointments. She also expressed concern that appointments in Lambourn were being taken by people from outside the area. Jo Reeves indicated that the Van on the Move would offer walk-in vaccinations, but she would need to check with NHS England about the pharmacies. She had heard that Kennet Centre was offering walk-in appointments, but this was not being advertised.

Jo Reeves presented the latest statistics on vaccinations in West Berkshire:

·         128,540 residents had received their first dose

·         118,306 residents had received their second dose

·         52,281 had received a booster or third dose

·         35.6% of residents aged 12+ had received a booster

·         90% of the 70+ age group had received a booster

·         Vaccine take-up amongst residents aged 12-15 was 62% and West Berkshire was identified as having a particularly high take up in a recent Guardian article, which was a credit to the School Vaccination Team, schools and parents.

The Chairman noted that people were booking a booster when they were able to do so. Jo Reeves agreed and indicated that the evidence suggested that people wanted sites to be as local as possible.

Councillor Masters asked if statistics related to the address of the vaccination centre or residents’ addresses. Jo Reeves confirmed that the statistics were based on residents’ addresses.