For members in England please remain on this page. For members in the rest of the UK, please use the following links.
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Wales
15-minute observation period following COVID-19 vaccination
The 15-minute observation period following a vaccination with COVID-19 vaccine Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna will be temporarily suspended as part of measures to increase the booster rollout, according to the MHRA. Regulatory documents remain unchanged.
For community pharmacies, the PGDs and national protocols for, both, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have now been updated and the 15-minute wait can be suspended.
Please note: The 15-minute observation period after vaccination remains in place for the small number of people who may have previously suffered anaphylaxis or other allergic reactions to a food, insect sting and most medicines or vaccines. |
Recent updates on COVID-19 vaccination
DHSC useful links:
New COVID-19 vaccine toolkit for employers launched: The Department of Health and Social Care has launched a new COVID-19 vaccine toolkit for employers to ensure employees are provided with reliable information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. The toolkit contains useful resources for employers to run internal awareness campaigns. Further information can be accessed here. |
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NPA webinar – Understanding COVID-19 vaccinations and addressing vaccine hesitancy
NPA updates
- 03/05/2022 NPA update Symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for healthcare staff
- 13/12/2021 NPA update on the COVID-19 Response: Omicron variant (Scotland)
- 10/12/2021 IMPORTANT update following activation of Plan B in England
- 10/12/2021 NPA update on the COVID-19 vaccination programme (ENGLAND)
- 08/12/2021 Updated Northern Ireland Community Pharmacy Vaccination Service (CPVS) SOP V5 December 2021
- 02/12/2021 Superintendent update on COVID-19 costs claims PPV, new measures due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, COVID-19 vaccinations and more
- 01/12/2021 NPA update: JCVI advice on COVID-19 vaccination programme
- 23/11/2021 NPA update: Change to Community Pharmacy COVID Vaccination Service (CPVS) in Northern Ireland to include booster vaccine
- 17/11/2021 NPA update: Government announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for NHS frontline staff in England
- 08/11/2021 Updated guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine booster programme
03/11/2021 NPA update: COVID-19 vaccination requirement for people working in or entering a care home
- 03/11/2021 NPA update on COVID-19 vaccinations for 12-15 year olds through certain community pharmacy-led vaccination sites
- 30/10/2021 NPA update: Children and young people aged 12 to 15 years to be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- 29/09/2021 NPA update on information for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
- 21/09/2021 NPA update: Change to Community Pharmacy COVID Vaccination Service (CPVS) in Northern Ireland
- 10/09/2021 Indemnity insurance updates for COVID-19 vaccinations and booster injections
- 07/09/2021 Guidance in relation to DBS checks, and specifically to requirements for vaccination services
- 23/08/2021 NPA update Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in children aged 12-15 years
- 16/07/2021 NPA update England COVID-19 vaccination programme: Phase 3 2021/22- Local Enhanced Service Specification and designation process for community pharmacy contractors
- 25/2/2021 – Webinar on COVID-19 vaccination programme community pharmacy designated process (recorded on 23/2/2021) is now available to watch here. You may also find the experiences of member Olivier Picard, of Newdays Pharmacy, helpful. Olivier opened a pharmacist-led vaccination centre in Marlow in January 2021, and shares his experiences here
- 18/02/2021 COVID-19 vaccination programme: designation process opened again for community pharmacy contractors- key points and considerations
- 29/01/2021 Superintendent update: End of month update (January 2021) – includes key updates on COVID-19 (testing, vaccinations including legal mechanisms, professional indemnity and insurance, vaccine comparison chart
- 15/01/2021 COVID-19: IMPORTANT UPDATES and FAQS on COVID-19 antigen testing, COVID-19 vaccinations, and lockdown actions (England) covers COVID-19 vaccinations and FAQs, including professional indemnity and insurance and COVID-19 vaccination – legal mechanisms for administration
- 30/11/2020 IMPORTANT UPDATE: COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 – key points and considerations for preparation for community pharmacy to contribute to a potential COVID-19 vaccination programme
NPA Resources
- 07/09/2021 – Guidance in relation to DBS checks, and specifically to requirements for vaccination services
- 24/2/2021 – A new cross-sector guidance (made up with NPA, CCA, PSNC, RPS and AIM) has been developed on the considerations pharmacy contractors in England should undertake before applying to provide the COVID-19 vaccination service. The latest version can be accessed here.
- COVID-19 risk assessments – to support individual and workplace risk assessment assist assessed, identified and mitigated in the workplace.
- COVID -19 vaccination risk assessments – to support pharmacy premises and offsite vaccinations
- Standard operating procedures– including infection prevention, hand hygiene, needle stick injury and biohazard spillages, administration adrenaline and cold chain.
- COVID-19 vaccination pre-screen questionnaire
- Chaperone policy documents
- COVID-19 vaccine characteristic comparison chart –This resource provides a quick reference of the vaccine characteristics and excipients information for the three COVID-19 vaccines currently temporary authorised.
- COVID-19 vaccination programme vaccination site key considerations and risk assessment
- Summary Care Record (SCR) resources – guidance and support for accessing patients SCR.
- Safeguarding vulnerable adults and children– guidance and SOP.
- Accessible Information Standard– brief guide, SOP and FAQs to support the Standard in your pharmacy.
- Radicalisation and terrorism prevention guidance– resource to support pharmacy teams in identifying individuals, both patients and other team members, who may be subject to radicalisation and how to raise these concerns.
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Please see below for useful resources
NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) coronavirus vaccination programme primary care guidance
Where you can find the COVID-19 vaccination SOP, legal mechanisms, COVID-19 vaccines clinical incidents SOP, community pharmacy local enhanced service documents, instruction on timing of second dose of COVID-19 vaccinations and COVID-19 Vaccine Oxford AstraZeneca – movement of vaccine
Public Health England COVID-19 vaccination programme
Documents relating to the COVID-19 vaccination programme including national protocols, Patient Group Directions, guidance, training resources, consent forms, letters, leaflets, posters and Green Book chapter 14a COVID-19.
Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) COVID-19 vaccines – professional medicines advice
Guidance on the legal mechanisms and their use, template SOPs, maintaining cold chain and best practice storage of COVID vaccines
MHRA guidance on coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines
Regulatory information/updates on COVID-19 vaccines and safety, clinical trials, and medicines and COVID-19. Information for healthcare professionals on the Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford University/AstraZeneca and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 Central Alerting System (CAS) alerts
A consolidated list of alerts issued on COVID-19 including general and COVID-19 vaccine alerts
COVID-19 yellow card reporting site
Report suspected side effects to medicines, vaccines or medical device and diagnostic adverse incidents used in coronavirus treatment including COVID-19 vaccines
PHE Vaccine update collection
Vaccination newsletter for health professionals and immunisation practitioners
Regulatory - General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) COVID-19 vaccination information/guidance/FAQs
Guidance for those involved in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Covering information on assurance and governance to ensure safety and accountability.
Indemnity arrangements for COVID-19 vaccination programme
NHSE&I, DHSC, and NHS Resolution have issued a joint letter about the indemnity arrangements that are in place to cover the COVID-19 vaccination programme, which includes community pharmacy
NPA DBS Checks
Guidance in relation to DBS checks, and specifically to requirements for vaccination services. Registered Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Support Workers and unregistered vaccinators are required to have an enhanced DBS check against the adult and children’s barred list to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to 16-17 year olds.
NPA COVID-19 vaccination training
Information on the suitability and content of this 2 hour virtual training session and additional COVID-19 training resources. From this page you can also link to details of our full vaccination training which includes COVID specific vaccination information.
Book or manage your coronavirus vaccination
NHSE&I have confirmed that community pharmacy staff are within the category of frontline health and social care staff eligible for a coronavirus vaccination
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Information and guidance on providing support to patients/staff who have COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
COVID-19 vaccination: a guide on pregnancy and breastfeeding
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as people of the same age or risk group
DHSC guidance on demonstrating your COVID-19 vaccination status when travelling abroad
How to demonstrate your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination status to show that you’ve had the full course of the COVID-19 vaccine and access this status when travelling abroad.
PHE COVID-19 migrant health guide
Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients.
UK vaccine response to the Omicron variant: JCVI advice
Advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant
Red Flag Factsheets
The NPA has developed the following red flag factsheets to support pharmacy teams.