A policy for use by healthcare professionals and senior managers responsible for the transfer and safe handling of COVID-19 vaccines

Published 29 September 2022

Letter setting out the actions to take, as well as operational details systems to consider, when finalising plans for the autumn COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine programme.

Published 18 August 2022.

Letter setting out next steps for the flu and COVID-19 vaccination programmes for autumn and winter 2022.

Published 15 July 2022.

Process and timeline for the designation and onboarding of vaccination sites for participation in phase 5 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Published 6 July 2022.

Letter setting out next steps for COVID-19 and routine vaccination.

Published 22 June 2022.

Letter setting out additional urgent steps to ensure that all remaining eligible immunosuppressed individuals receive a booster during the Spring campaign.

Published 13 June 2022.

Guidance on how local vaccination services (LVS), hospital hubs (HH), hospital hub+ (HH+) and vaccination centres (VC) can be paused between April and September 2022.

Published 3 May 2022.

This letter and these planning parameters set out the current priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination programme for 2022/23.

Published 23 February 2022

The government has accepted updated advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the vaccination of non at risk 5 to 11 year-olds.

Published 18 February 2022.

Certain post-thaw expiry dates of unpunctured and undamaged Spikevax® vials as detailed in this letter may be extended from 30 days to 60 days.

Published 2 February 2022.

Letter issuing guidance on contacting patients who are severely immunosuppressed about their booster dose.

Published 25 January 2022.

Letter asking maternity service leads to co-ordinate with Vaccination Programme leads so that every woman attending a maternity service has easy, timely access to vaccine confidence conversations and co-located vaccination offers.

Published 25 January 2022.

Certain post-thaw expiry dates of unpunctured and undamaged Comirnaty® (30microgram/dose) vials as detailed in this letter may be extended from 31 days to 45 days.

Published 17 January 2022.

Top tips to generate local demand for vaccinations and help maximise delivery.

Published 10 January 2022.

Advice on vaccinations for some children aged 5 to 11 and boosters for some young people aged 12 to 17. Letter from Dr Emily Lawson and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 23 December 2021.

Thanking staff for their work on the vaccination programme and asking them to support the booster jab campaign. Letter from Ruth May, Prof Stephen Powis, Suzanne Rastrick and Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 17 December 2021.

Next steps to offer all eligible adults over 18 a booster jab by 31 December. Letter from Amanda Pritchard, Emily Lawson, Eleanor Kelly and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 13 December 2021.

Important actions every part of the NHS should take to prepare and respond to Omicron. Letter from Amanda Pritchard and Prof Stephen Powis.

Published 13 December 2021.

Next steps on second dose vaccination for healthy 12 to 15-year-olds. Letter from Nick Hulme and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Published 13 December 2021.

Accelerating COVID-19 vaccination following emergence of the Omicron variant. Letter from Amanda Pritchard, Dr Emily Lawson, Dr Nikki Kanani and Ed Waller.

Published 3 December 2021.

How to advise pregnant women of the benefits of COVID-19 and flu vaccination this winter. Letter from Ruth May, Dr Nikita Kanani, Prof Stephen Powis, Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent and Matthew Jolly.

Published 1 December 2021.

The next steps to ensure cancer patients receive a third dose. Letter from Professor Stephen Powis, Dame Cally Palmer and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 17 November 2021.

Actions to take following updated advice from the JCVI on vaccinating 40 to 49-year-olds and 16 to 17-year-olds. Letter from Dr Emily Lawson and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Published 15 November 2021.

Next steps to meet government regulations on vaccinating all healthcare workers. Letter from Amanda Pritchard, Prerana Issar, Prof Stephen Powis, Ruth May and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 10 November 2021.

Maximising capacity to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds by offering vaccination outside of schools. Letter from Prof Sir Keith Willett and Nick Hulme.

Published 19 October 2021.

Support for maternity services to comply with the policy on COVID-status certification and medical exemptions.

Published 18 October 2021.

Actions for NHS Trusts to support third doses for the immunosupressed. Letter from Prof. Sir Keith Willett, Prof Stephen Powis and Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 30 September 2021.

Actions for GP practices and PCN-led vaccination sites to support third doses for the immunosuppressed. Letter from Prof Sir Keith Willett and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 30 September 2021.

Identifying children who are now eligible for vaccination, following a revised JCVI definition of "underlying health conditions". Letter from Dr Nikita Kanani and Caroline Temmink.

Published 20 September 2021.

Actions for all sites to take to begin booster vaccinations for priority groups 1 to 9. Letter from Prof Sir Keith Willett and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 15 September 2021.

The pharmaceutical standards needed to maintain the integrity of COVID-19 vaccines in schools so they remain safe and effective. Letter from Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 15 September 2021.

How to prepare for the vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 and ensure invitations have been sent before half term. Letter from Prof. Sir Keith Willett and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 15 September 2021.

How to use lateral flow devices for asymptomatic staff testing at vaccination sites. Standard operating procedure for NHS staff.

Updated 8 September 2021.

Actions to take to begin third doses for immunosuppressed people aged 12 and over. Letter from Prof. Sir Keith Willett and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 2 September 2021.

Operational implications following a change in licensing status for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Letter from Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 26 August 2021.

Additional guidance on the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers. Letter from Pauline Philip DBE, Prof Sir Keith Willett and Prerana Issar.

Published 19 August 2021.

Actions all practices should take to help identify eligible 12 to 15-year-olds (cohort 13). Letter from Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 13 August 2021.

Guidance on the vaccination of healthy 16 to 17-year-olds. Letter from Prof Sir Keith Willett and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 5 August 2021.

Urgent actions to improve rates of vaccination in pregnant women. Letter from Matthew Jolly, Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent and Dr Jonathan Leach.

Published 30 July 2021.

Guidance for children and young people aged 12 and over who have underlying health conditions. Letter from Prof Sir Keith Willett, Dr Nikita Kanani and Eleanor Kelly.

Published 22 July 2021.

Basic principles to support local planning for phase 3 vaccination. Letter from Emily Lawson, Dr Nikki Kanani and Professor Keith Willett.

Published 1 July 2021.

Changes to the way staff should order lateral flow tests. Letter from Prerana Issar, Ruth May, Pauline Philip and Prof Stephen Powis.

Published 29 June 2021.

Answers to common questions about vaccinating students in higher education.

Published 18 June 2021.

Guidance on second doses for people in their 40s and invitations for 18 to 24-year-olds. Letter from Emily Lawson and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 15 June 2021.

A description of how to operate roving and mobile vaccination models to maximise vaccine uptake.

Updated 7 October 2021.

A request for pharmacy leaders to share best practice and read the latest guidance about handling multiple vaccines. Letter from Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 21 May 2021.

Changes to the approved storage period of unopened, thawed vials. Letter from Emily Lawson and Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 20 May 2021.

Appointments for a second dose will be brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks. Letter from Emily Lawson, Dr Nikki Kanani and Eleanor Kelly.

Published 15 May 2021.

Updated guidance for the use of AstraZeneca for some people under 40. Letter from Dr Emily Lawson, Prof Stephen Powis and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Published 7 May 2021.

Guidance about vaccinating pregnant women. Letter from Dr Nikki Kanani and Dr Jonathan Leach.

Updated 19 May 2021.

Answers to common questions about the AstraZeneca vaccine and its use in patients under 30.

Published 15 April 2021.

Guidance on vaccinating cohorts 10-12 (people aged 18-49). Letter from Dr Emily Lawson and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Published 13 April 2021.

Guidance following reports of rare side effects. Letter from Dr Emily Lawson, Prof Stephen Powis and Dr Nikki Kanani.

Published 7 April 2021.

The next steps acute trusts should take to support vaccination of this group. Letter from Dr Nikita Kanani and Ed Waller.

Published 31 March 2021.

A problem-solving framework, best practice, and practical guidance.

Published 26 March 2021.

Answers to common questions about second doses including the interval between doses and vaccine supply.

Updated 20 May 2021.

A quality assurance tool for organisations delivering COVID-19 vaccine services.

Published 4 March 2021.

Actions and guidance for maternity services to invite eligible women for vaccination. Letter from Matthew Jolly and Prof Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent.

Published 19 March 2021.

Next steps after national booking opened to everyone aged 50 and over. Letter from Emily Lawson and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 17 March 2021.

Position statement clarifying how people registered with Welsh GPs can be vaccinated in England.

Published 11 March 2021.

Guidance for HR directors outlining approaches to support vaccine uptake among frontline staff.

Updated 12 March 2021.

Top tips on communicating with people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Published 22 February 2021.

Encouraging two key groups included in cohort 6 to get vaccinated. Letter from Emily Lawson and Dr Nikita Kanani.

Published 20 February 2021.

Information on supporting clinically extremely vulnerable patients throughout the pandemic.

Updated 16 February 2021.

Update on the vaccination of cohorts 5 and 6. Letter from Dr Nikita Kanani and Ed Waller.

Updated 16 February 2021.

Letter setting out the next steps for eligible social care worker vaccination, including self-referral.

Published on 11 February 2021.

Actions to ensure eligible staff have been offered a vaccine. Letter from Emily Lawson, Dr Nikita Kanani, Prerana Issar, Sir David Pearson and Eleanor Kelly.

Published 9 February 2021.

Confirmation that NHS trusts should offer vaccination to temporary workers.

Published 27 January 2021.

How eligible workers can access vaccinations, from the primary dose through to booster jabs.

Updated 13 October 2021.

A policy for use by healthcare professionals and senior managers responsible for vaccine transfer.

Updated 30 September 2021.

How second doses can be used to ensure maximum optimisation of the vaccination programme. Letter from Emily Lawson, Dr Nikita Kanani and Prof Stephen Powis.

Published 11 January 2021.

Guidance on who should be vaccinated, and actions that NHS organisations should take. Letter from Dr Emily Lawson, Dr Nikita Kanani and Prerana Issar.

Updated 26 January 2021.

Details of how this vaccine should be handled and deployed. Letter from Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 31 December 2021.

Information following authorisation to use the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK. Letter from Sir Simon Stevens, Dr Emily Lawson and Prof Stephen Powis.

Published 30 December 2020.

Standard operating procedure setting out how incidents and enquiries are escalated and addressed.

Updated 15 June 2021.

Standard operating procedure for vaccination site operational leads and site managers.

Updated 20 May 2021.

Standard operating procedure describing the process hospital hub providers and care home providers should follow.

Published 6 December 2020.

Standard operating procedure for hospital hubs ordering inventory for vaccinations.

Published 4 December 2020.

Information for the first set of COVID vaccine hospital hubs. Letter from Emily Lawson and Amanda Pritchard.

Published 4 December 2020.

How vaccines can be used until the national Patient Group Direction / national protocol is available.

Updated on 10 December 2020.

Information for chief executives of NHS trusts and foundation trusts about plans to deploy vaccines. Letter from Emily Lawson and Sue Harriman.

Published 20 November 2020.

The principles for safely handling COVID-19 vaccines to maintain their quality. Letter from Dr Keith Ridge.

Published 4 December 2020.