Agenda item

Report of NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs)

The Director of Primary Care and Medicines Optimisation for 6 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the Chair of the Programme Board provided an update report and presentation relating to phase 3 of the Covid Vaccination Programme.

The Committee noted the following comments and responses to questions:

·       There were currently no walk-in centres in the Staffordshire Moorlands district for resident’s use. It was explained that walk-in centres were targeted for low vaccine take up areas and that Leek and Biddulph areas in Staffordshire Moorlands district had high take up rates. There were community pharmacy appointments available to residents and these could be booked on the national booking system.

·       Members requested that changes to location of walk-in centres be widely communicated to residents.

·       The walk-in centre at the Pirehill Fire Station was situated on the A34 road at Stone which was not easily accessed on foot. It was explained that the Fire Station site was identified to facilitate access for large numbers of residents by vehicle when it was first known that 150,000 vaccines had to be delivered in two weeks. Members were invited to contact officers if they wanted to suggest more suitable alternatives for walk-in centres in Stafford Town Centre.

·       In terms of alternatives to a jab for younger vaccine recipients, such as a sugar cube, it was explained that injection for children was a tried and tested method to vaccinate.  The vaccine roll out for 11-15 year olds had a 60% uptake, and roll out for 5-11 year olds who were clinically vulnerable was due to commence. It was planned to offer the vaccine jab to all children 5-11 by the Easter Holidays. It was explained that there were technological reasons why vaccines were offered by injection and the method was approved by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and immunisation (JCVI).

·       In relation to low take up of vaccine, Members were advised that an inequalities group met weekly to consider how best to identify andtarget groups using data. Local councillors were also encouraged to identify groups in their wards andMembers were encouraged to talk to their Local Outbreak Control Board Member. For rural areas an ‘ice cream van’ approach was used, where a mobile unit would be arranged and residents notified what time and date the unit would be on which site. These methods should be highlighted at a workshop for Members on 17^th February 2022.

·       2.4 million booster vaccinations had been provided since 12 December 2021. It was understood that the drive to vaccinate had been labour intensive, there was a need to train others to jab and be overseen by a clinician to make best use of people in the system, and there was a need to develop a sustainable model for vaccine roll out moving forward.

·       The need to re-circulate community pharmacy site information was highlighted to encourage take up of vaccinations. CCGs were working with social media groups to get factual information out to non-vaccinated residents and encourage take-up and drop in Q&A sessions with trusted information had been arranged.  There was a steady rise in every cohort coming forward for vaccination.

·       Vaccination of NHS staff was proposed with the last date to have first vaccine by 4 February 2022. It was reported that of 45,000 members of NHS staff, 2% were unvaccinated, there being potentially 900 staff reduction. This was of concern to Members, they were advised that individual conversations with staff were ongoing and that a process was in place to reduce the impact. 

The Chair thanked presenters for the update and their continued work under extreme pressure.  The Director of Primary Care thanked Members for their support and offer to get the message out in their local areas.

Resolved:

1. That the update report be received and noted.