GP leaders have accused NHS England of mismanagement over repeated changes to the autumn vaccination programme.

The British Medical Association yesterday called for an investigation into the problems with the programme.
NHS England has said it had to change the programme because of emerging information about the risks from flu and new COVID variants.

GPs on the BMA’s GP committee for England were angered by the timing of changes and by changes to payments – which at first were to be reduced. They accused NHS England of causing “widespread confusion” in the profession. They accused it of “muddled and mismanaged communications”. The campaign was at first delayed to October from its normal September start date – but then brought forward to this month because of alarm about the viral strains in circulation.

Committee chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer said: “The last few weeks have been incredibly challenging for GPs, practice managers and their teams who, on top of managing rising patient demand, have been trying to keep up with conflicting instructions from NHS England about this year’s Flu and COVID vaccination programme. The campaign is a huge logistical operation, which practices plan many months in advance, so to throw plans into disarray with days to go, creating unnecessary additional workload and patient concern was incredibly frustrating – made all the worse by a refusal to offer the right financial support modelled as cost effective by the Government’s own Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations.

“While practices have been able to keep their original vaccine clinics in place, the reduction of the fee for the COVID jab from November onwards means that it won’t be financially viable for practices to continue, potentially putting vulnerable patients at risk. With a new variant now circulating, the profession needs this addressed as a matter of urgency. It’s clear that the direction for this year’s vaccination programme was not properly thought through, and we need a thorough explanation as to why.”

This week NHS England launched a campaign to encourage eligible patients to sign up for COVID vaccine boosters.

Health Minister, Maria Caulfield said: “As we enter the autumn months, it’s vital that the most vulnerable groups receive flu and COVID vaccines to strengthen their immunity and reduce pressure on the NHS. We’re investing an additional £200million in the NHS to support it during its busiest period.”

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at UKHSA, said: “We are already seeing a slow rise in cases of COVID-19, as well as increases in hospitalisations, particularly among the over 75s. Older people and those in clinical risk groups remain at higher risk of severe illness, so it’s important all those eligible come forward when offered and get protected against flu and COVID.”