NHS to pay GPs extra £10 per vaccination delivered to housebound patients

Healthcare teams in rural areas have been forced to battle heavy snow when trying to reach and vaccinate housebound people

(AFP via Getty Images)

GPs in England will be paid an additional £10 by the NHS for every housebound patient they vaccinate against Covid-19.

As well as offering vaccinations at their practices, GPs have been visiting patients to provide jabs to often vulnerable people who cannot leave their homes.

Some GP services in towns and cities have been vaccinating more than 100 people each day, including those with conditions such as dementia.

In rural areas, many GPs and healthcare teams have faced wintry conditions including heavy snow when trying to reach and vaccinate housebound people.

The extra £10-per-visit funding is to recognise the extra staff time and complexity of vaccinating housebound people, NHS England said.

The additional funding is retrospective and will apply to any vaccinations that have already been delivered to those who cannot leave their homes.

More than 1,000 GP services are part of the NHS vaccination programme, alongside over 250 hospital hubs and nearly 200 services run by high street pharmacies.

Elland Road, the home of Leeds United Football Club, is one of 18 sites which will provide vaccinations from Monday.

The new openings mean there are more than 100 large-scale centres offering Covid-19 vaccines.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: "Through our historic vaccination programme, we've already provided one in five adults with a jab, and we're going further, faster.

"We're rightly giving GPs the resources they need to offer vaccines to the most vulnerable people who might not be able to leave their homes or those who live in rural areas.

"I am so proud and grateful to the thousands of NHS staff, volunteers, local authorities and armed forces working tirelessly in all four corners of the United Kingdom to offer millions of lifesaving jabs to the people who need it most."

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS medical director for primary care, said: "Tremendous efforts have been made by GPs across the country to ensure we vaccinate those people who are in the priority cohorts as determined by the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation).

"Since the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use and we began administering it on January 4 when Brian Pinker became the first person to receive the jab, my colleagues across the country have been prioritising the vaccination programme rollout, which is our biggest chance of beating this virus.

"Please remember the NHS will be in touch with you when it's your turn to be vaccinated."

The sites due to open from Monday are:

• Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club, Cambridge
• East of England Showground, Peterborough
• Hemel Hempstead Hospital, Hemel Hempstead
• Norwich Community Hospital, Norwich
• Old Laws Court, Lowestoft
• Whitemoor Lakes, Lichfield
• Elland Road Stadium, Leeds
• Hull City Hall, Hull
• Alderley Park Conference Centre, Macclesfield
• Chester Racecourse, Chester
• Bucks University Aylesbury Campus, Aylesbury
• St John's Shopping Centre, Preston
• The Mall, Burnley
• The Mill Arts & Events Centre, Rayleigh
• Saxon Court, Milton Keynes
• Watford Town Hall, Watford
• Watling House, Dunstable
• Angel Centre, Tonbridge

Article by courtesy of PA