VACCINATING THE UK The contribution of GP teams in delivering the Covid-19 vaccination programme has been truly remarkable, with three quarters of all vaccinations delivered in primary care. Amy Boreham speaks to three GPs from around the UK...
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he College has supported members by highlighting issues publicly and privately that impacted on GPs’ ability to vaccinate – including the supply chain, successfully lobbying to reduce red tape for retired GPs who wanted to return as vaccinators and raising concerns about low uptake in minority ethnic groups. The College also rapidly developed resources for its dedicated section on the COVID-19 Resource Hub and organised webinars on key topics such as managing anaphylaxis and building vaccine confidence. Amy Boreham spoke to three GPs from across the UK about their experiences of protecting their patients and communities throughout the pandemic.
In Barnet, Leora Harverd, a GP at Temple Fortune Health Centre, was in the first wave of practices to deliver the Covid vaccination programme. “We were given about 10 days’ notice to prepare. It was a huge leap of faith at the time,” Leora reflected.
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On the first day of clinic, 1,200 patients were immunised. However it soon became clear that with the added complexity of creating a Covid secure environment and social distancing, space in the practice was limited. The resolution proved to be the practice car park. The team set about moving the clinic outside, erecting three marquees which provided the required space to vaccinate patients and accommodate the 15-minute wait for patients receiving the Pfizer jab, as well as toilets and a communal area for staff. Vaccinating outside at the height of winter was testing. Leora remembered how exceptionally cold it was. “We often had to go inside to warm our hands up on the radiator,” she said. In total, over 34,000 patients passed through the improvised clinic entrance. Leora says the good uptake was probably due to the high Covid death rate in the community. “I think it really spurred people on to get a jab. There would often be a congregation of patients hoping to get an end of day spare dose.” Although vaccination rates were promising, Leora and her team put every effort into finding those in the community who were not coming forward or unable to. Saturday nights were filled with vaccinating the housebound and ensuring all key workers in the local area had the opportunity. “We wanted to make sure that all eligible patients, from all walks of life, were offered a vaccine. We took the clinic to the homeless and refugees living in temporary accommodation, as well as vaccinating key workers from local supermarkets and the police station.” Leora said vaccine supply was the biggest challenge, describing one time when no supply arrived to vaccinate the 1200 patients booked to attend a clinic the following day. “Our supplies had mistakenly arrived at a practice in East London. We drove the 20-mile round trip and ensured that the vaccine was in safe hands, temperature logging it en route.” Leora describes her role in the vaccination programme as a mixture of elation and exhaustion. “The Covid vaccination programme has been all consuming, on top of running day to day general practice, but I don't regret being involved in
the slightest. We just want to do our best for our patients,” she said. Professor Azhar Farooqi, a GP in Leicester and Chair of Leicester City CCG, was concerned about misconcep-
tions, anti-vax messages and fake news about the Covid vaccines circulating on social media. He knew it was fuelling the diminishing numbers of patients getting vaccinated, particularly patients from deprived socio-economic backgrounds and minority ethnic communities. As the city’s Covid-19 cases rocketed, it became the first area to be locked down under the Government's new tiered system. “We found the reasons for vaccine hesitancy were mostly confusion about mixing the vaccine with other medication, concerns about fertility, and younger patients with less urgency to get vaccinated”, Azhar said. The most effective strategy developed and piloted by Azhar and his team was simple – GPs having conversations with patients, advocating the benefits of getting vaccinated and addressing individual concerns. Practice teams were tasked with ringing up patients who hadn't responded to two or three invitations and offering to rearrange appointments. Any patients with lingering hesitancy and questions were booked to speak with their GP. The scheme was a huge success and had the biggest impact on increasing uptake rates, with two thirds of patients contacted getting vaccinated. "For many a
