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:

·         All residents aged 18+ had been offered a booster dose by 31 December.

·         Vaccine centres were very busy before Christmas, but demand tailed off between Christmas and New Year, with some appointments not filled.

·         There had been a significant number of patients not attending appointments – this was thought to be due to testing positive for Covid, or patients using the walk-in facilities and not cancelling their appointment.

·         Appointment and walk-in availability remained good – Broad Street Mall had reopened for walk-ins, Strawberry Hill would offer walk-ins on  Wednesday and the Kennet Centre would offer walk-ins at the weekend.

·         12-15 year olds were eligible for their second dose 12 weeks after receiving their first one.

·         They would need to wait 12 weeks following a positive Covid test result.

·         They could either book an appointment on the national booking system of wait for a school visit by the immunisation team.

·         There was a focus on encouraging take-up of vaccines / boosters amongst groups that experienced health inequalities.

·         The Hungerford pop-up clinic had delivered over 7,500 vaccine doses – more than double the forecast number.

·         Thanks were given to the Cricket Club and local community.

·         Thanks were also given to the Newbury Racecourse Volunteer Coordinators who had been used again at Hungerford.

·         As of 5 January, 81.7% of the eligible population had received a booster, with take-up significantly higher than the national level.

·         In terms of inequalities:

o   Thatcham Medical Centre had visited the soup kitchen twice.

o   Strawberry Hill Medical Centre had offered walk-ins for adult social care workers.

o   Lambourn Pharmacy had been supporting racehorse industry workers.

o   Tilehust Village Surgery had visited the Afghan refugee hotel.

o   Healthwatch West Berkshire and Solutions4Health had supported community engagement.

·         Going forward, there would be a multi-faceted approach to identify and address the 3Cs of vaccine hesitancy:

o   Confidence

o   Complacency

o   Convenience

·         There would be a greater focus on shared communications and engagement.

·         The Health on the Move Van would be used when geographical access was perceived to be a barrier or if there was an opportunity to vaccinate multiple people.

·         Opportunities would also be explored to make every contact count and promote health literacy, carry out health checks, etc.

·         The locations of vaccination sites in West Berkshire and neighbouring areas was displayed.

·         It was noted that the JCVI had recommended:

o   Boosters for 16-17 year olds

o   Boosters for 12-15 year olds in a clinical risk group or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed and who have had a third primary dose.

o   First doses for 5-11 year olds.

·         Government had accepted the recommendations and operational guidance was awaited.

The Chairman observed that most people who had received two doses had also received a booster jab. Also, Graham Sims (Chair of Royal Berkshire Hospital Trust) had recently stated that most people in intensive care were unvaccinated or part-vaccinated, which reflected the view of this Board. The Chairman asked about fourth doses of vaccines and anti-viral drugs for patients who were immunosuppressed.

Jo Reeves explained that immunosuppressed patients with certain conditions would get three vaccine doses, followed by a booster after 12 weeks. These would be available from walk-in centres, or patients would be invited by their hospital / GP. These patients would also be eligible for anti-viral drugs if they contracted Covid. Guidance and a webinar had been organised for GPs.

Tracy Daszkiewicz indicated that she was categorised as an immunosuppressed patient and had received a special PCR test. In the event of a positive result, she would be fast-tracked into the latest treatment, with an option to take part in trials.

Councillor Lynne Doherty asked about cancellation of appointments if patients had managed to get a vaccine at a walk-in centre. She had tried to cancel her son’s appointment, but the NHS website would not let her. Also, she noted there was a national campaign around vaccinating pregnant women and wondered if this was a particular issue in West Berkshire.

Jo Reeves indicated that appointments could be cancelled via the website or by calling 119. She undertook to provide feedback regarding the website. She also indicated that she would ask colleagues about vaccination of pregnant women.

The Chairman suggested that if people were booked to receive a vaccination at a pharmacy then they should call the pharmacy as a minimum.

Post Meeting Note: The issue of not being able to cancel vaccination appointments on the National Booking System was raised with the Berkshire West lead after the meeting. It was confirmed that this is a known issue with the system. However, there are no plans to fix this at the present time.

Councillor Steve Masters asked if Strawberry Hill surgery would be offering walk-in vaccinations to people other than social care workers and asked about the opening times.

Jo Reeves indicated that it would be for anyone aged 18+ for Moderna first and second doses and boosters. Opening times were confirmed as 09:00 – 13:00 and 13:30 – 17:30.

Councillor Martha Vickers asked if this would be a one-off.

Jo Reeves indicated that there was not a significant need for additional clinics, but further dates would be announced once the clinic schedule had been confirmed.

Councillor Vickers asked about provision for people with needle phobias.

Jo Reeves indicated that she would need to do research about pathways, but she did not think that there were any non-needle options. She stressed that clinics were good at making reasonable adjustments and would look after all patients.