Practices are getting increasingly frustrated by the UK’s duplicate COVID-19 vaccination system, it has been revealed. Growing numbers of patients are making double bookings after being invited both by practices and by the NHS nationally, GPs in London have warned. The warning came as the UK passed ten million vaccinations – but practices warned that…

Practices have been praised for the “wonderful” achievement of ensuring that almost every care home in England has now been offered COVID-19 vaccination. The programme has reached more than 10,000 care homes and the only ones omitted have been told to wait by local public health departments because of local outbreaks. Alongside outreach to care…

Practices are being encouraged to sign up for a new set of standards for providing support for care homes. The standards were being developed before the pandemic – but are now more applicable than other, according to developers, the Royal College of GPs and Marie Curie. The “Daffodil” standards were first launched last year but…

Concerns are growing that mass vaccination may have to slow down, even as the UK gets to grips with passing 100,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK’s most successful vaccination region is to face rationing for doses next month because of global shortages, it has been reported. Supplies to the north west will be…

GP negotiators are to concentrate their efforts on improving funding for primary care networks – after agreeing no more than minor changes to the standard practice contract, it has been announced. The practice contract deal already means that four primary care network services will not be introduced in April, the British Medical Association said. The…

Practices may need to ensure they add temporary staff such as sessional GPs to their vaccination lists, according to a trade union. The British Medical Association has warned that sessional GPs, especially those working as locums, are facing difficulty in many areas in getting access to COVID-19 vaccination. Their rates of vaccination are much lower…

National rationing of COVID-19 vaccines is likely to begin next week as supplies are diverted to regions that have fallen behind in the programme, it was reported today. Practices in many parts of the country have now been told they will not get supplies next week, The Times reports. The aim will be to ensure…