Vaccination for Care Home staff and residents
Vaccination teams from GP-led services and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex have met the government target to vaccinate older care home residents by the end of January 2021.
A small remainder of homes in Sussex had visits deferred for safety reasons, following a risk assessment, during local outbreaks. These remaining homes have now all had vaccination visits.
Older people in care homes are one of the top priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccine due to their high risk from coronavirus. In Sussex, we have one of the highest numbers of nursing and care homes per capita across the country and so this was a significant undertaking.
NHS staff were the first to receive vaccinations in the hospital hubs. There are 70,000 NHS and care worker staff who need to receive the vaccine in East Sussex. Care Home staff are being vaccinated alongside residents are or via the hospital hubs. This will include agency, domiciliary and nursing staff.
Thank you to all of the NHS and Caring staff who are doing such an amazing job.
From 13 January care staff have been invited to book their appointments at hospital and further information can be found at this link https://www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe/sussex-covid-19-vaccination-programme/workforcevax/
Self-employed care workers and personal assistants (ie those not registered with an agency or care home should contact East Sussex County Council to arrange for a vaccination appointment. More details are at this link https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/socialcare/providers/covid-19-asc/pa/
Unpaid Carers
If you are an unpaid or informal carer, aged 18 or over, who is in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, or if you are already registered as a carer by your GP, you can book your appointment right away at one of the larger vaccination centres through the national booking service or by calling 119. Alternatively, you can wait to be contacted for an appointment by your local GP-led vaccination service. If you are registered with the GP as a carer for a person who is eligible because of an underlying health condition, you might be offered appointments together. If you are a young carer aged 16-18, please wait to be contacted by your local GP as they will need to arrange for you to receive the Pfizer vaccine. If you are a carer who is not in receipt of Carers Allowance or registered as a carer by your GP, more information will be available shortly on how you will be identified and invited for vaccination.
Many people providing care for someone who could not manage without their support are currently not registered as an unpaid carer. Those who are not already registered with a carers’ organisation, may wish to do so.
Registering with a local carers’ organisation means you can get information and support when you need it most. You can also be kept up to date with plans for carers’ vaccinations as more details become available.
- In East Sussex: Care for the Carers; 01323 738 390; info@cftc.org.uk
- In West Sussex: Carers Support West Sussex; 0300 0288888
- In Brighton & Hove: The Carers Centre for Brighton and Hove. Register via Carers Hub or call 01273 977 000 for more information
- Parent Carers across Sussex: Amaze; registration@amazesussex.org.uk; 01273 772289