- Post updated 06 December. Reason for update: Linked to report at the i newspaper
- Post updated 05 December. Reason for update: Linked to the Guardian newspaper about their boosters for the housebound survey
- Post updated 01 November. Reason for update: Added information about the possibility of some provision in increasing capacity for COVID Boosters for Housebound People
Related posts
- Boris Johnson’s booster jabs address on 12 December
- How is the UK’s vaccine booster programme faring?
- Vaccination walk-in clinics in West Sussex
COVID booster vaccination home visits – Overview
The possibility of getting COVID Boosters for housebound people at home in Worthing and in many parts of the UK appears to be, according to reports, an impossibility.
A housebound Worthing resident unable to receive a booster at home
There is a very disturbing recent report about this in the Worthing-wide COVID-19 Facebook support group. A Worthing resident relates their distressing story of a housebound and severely disabled person, already seven months past their second vaccination date and unable to get a booster at home.
If you are a member of the private Worthing-wide COVID-19 Facebook group, you can read full details towards the bottom of this linked topic.
Boosters for housebound people – Not possible according to many reports
The i newspaper reports that 300,000 housebound people yet to receive their third vaccine, data shows. Source: i newspaper. 6 December 2021.
According to the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, 5,700 persons who are unable to leave their homes have yet to receive the top-up vaccination. Source: Thousands of housebound people face booster jab wait. BBC News. 23 November 2021.
A Scottish MSP raised lack of at home booster provision. Source: Facebook video. Jim Fairlie MSP – COVID Recovery Committee – At home boosters. 19 November 2021.
A housebound resident from Lanarkshire reports that on 22 September her mother received a letter from NHS Lanarkshire informing her that she was on the list for a house visit to receive both her COVID booster and flu vaccination. She is well past from her second COVID jab received in April. In spite of calling twice to ask for an indication on when they will be coming, she has not heard anything. Source: Vulnerable Lanarkshire pensioners still waiting for booster vaccines – weeks after initial contacted. The Daily Record. 16 November 2021.
A resident with multiple sclerosis (MS) and asthma is housebound. The 69-year old has phoned her GP several times asking to receive the vaccination, but has been told that “there is no one available” to come to her home to give it to her. Source: News&Star, Carlisle. 4 November 2021.
A reader reports that there was no consideration at any point of how housebound people such her elderly mother could receive COVID booster vaccinations, or indeed flu vaccinations. Source: Readers express their frustrations at trying to book COVID vaccinations after the health secretary urged the public to come forward. Guardian Newspaper. 26 October 2021.
My father-in-law, like many others, is once again falling into the black hole of overlooked elderly housebound residents still waiting for their booster. Time is passing and his booster vaccination is now overdue, like most residents where he lives. There should be provision for those willing and in desperate need of their booster vaccine. Source: Letter on COVID boosters for the housebound. Ilford Recorder. 20 October 2021.
The BMJ sheds some light on the problem of housebound people getting COVID Boosters
…many general practices in England that previously signed up to participate through their local primary care networks have opted out of delivering the booster programme, because of workload and workforce pressures and a policy directive from NHS England not to allow GPs to offer booster vaccines at practice level in the same way they do with flu vaccines. Source: COVID-19: How is the UK’s vaccine booster programme faring?
The Guardian newspaper wants to hear from housebound residents about their experiences
On 19 November the Guardian Newspaper published an appeal asking to hear from housebound people who have received or are having difficulty getting the COVID booster at home. Source: Tell us: have you received the COVID-19 booster vaccine while housebound?
The Guardian newspaper publishes responses to their appeal
“We’ve been failed’: five vulnerable people on their booster jab wait. 30 November 2021.
There may be some movement on increasing capacity to deliver boosters for housebound People
NHS chiefs have advised that GPs in England can defer some of the services they provide to patients in order to deliver Covid booster vaccinations instead. Source: BBC News. 04 December 2021.
On 30 November, the Prime Minister chaired a COVID-19 briefing. Also present were Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive Officer, NHS England.
This is what Amanda Pritchard had to say about increasing capacity to deliver vaccines to the housebound. It is noted that Amanda Pritchard did not specifically mention booster jabs in the quotes shown below, although it is assumed she was referring to boosters.
Quotes from the COVID-19 briefing dated 30 November
Amanda Pritchard: (12:40)
Our hard-working GPs, community pharmacists and their primary care colleagues have delivered the lion’s share of the vaccination so far. We’re looking at how we can help them to do even more jabs by cutting other burdens on them, to free up clinicians’ time and we will ensure that they are properly rewarded for their efforts, particularly when they take time to visit vulnerable housebound patients who can’t travel to vaccination sites.
So the payment for standard delivery of vaccinations will increase to 15 pounds a shot until the end of January. To increase capacity on Sundays when many community pharmacists are not usually open, we’ll offer an additional five pounds a shot, and to ensure we’re prioritizing the most vulnerable we’ll offer a 30 pound premium for vaccinations delivered to the housebound until the end of next month.
Source: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/boris-johnson-uk-omicron-variant-covid-briefing-transcript
Watch the video linked to above, on the government’s website. Fast forward to 12 minutes and 40 seconds to hear what Amanda Pritchard said about increasing provision for COVID boosters for housebound People.
Link to the YouTube video on the government’s website
Surely provision should be as simple as healthcare workers visiting a housebound resident’s home to administer the booster and flu vaccine at the same time.
Related posts
- Boris Johnson’s booster jabs address on 12 December
- How is the UK’s vaccine booster programme faring?
- Vaccination walk-in clinics in West Sussex