Classification: Official

Publications approval reference: C1295

To:

• All PCNs and all General Practices
• ICS and STP leads
• All CCG Accountable Officers and Clinical Leads

Copy to:

• NHS Regional Directors
• NHS Regional Directors of Commissioning

20 May 2021

Dear Colleagues

Further to our letter dated 15 May 2021 on revised Government guidance (based on independent JCVI advice) that “appointments for a second dose of a vaccine will be brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for the remaining people in the top nine priority groups who have yet to receive their second dose”, we are writing to set out further details on the support available for PCN-led sites.

To support PCN groupings with rescheduling appointments, we are:

1. Asking CCGs and ICSs to offer all possible support to PCNs in this task. ICSs should work with their PCN groupings and lead employers to bring in additional workforce to run additional clinics where necessary. Additional workforce capacity is also available for drawdown nationally to support these local approaches – see the PCN guidance on how to access the national workforce supply routes via your lead employer.
2. Offering all PCN groupings an additional payment of £1,000 for rescheduling second dose appointments on or after 25 May 2021 in line with the revised guidance. PCN groupings should submit their claims in line with the 2021/22 PCN Finance and Payments Guidance published here. Payment will be made by NHS England and NHS Improvement following CCG confirmation that the PCN grouping has made a reasonable effort to rebook patients and that a reasonable proportion of patients were re-booked. We expect that the £1,000 will be sufficient for the vast majority of rebooking costs. However, if there are exceptional circumstances and evidence of costs above this figure can be presented to regions in advance of the costs being incurred, regions can authorise a small increase above the £1,000 limit to be charged against the additional reasonable costs budget.
3. Sharing a template patient letter, script, text message template and website text to support vaccination sites to communicate and reschedule second dose appointments. These can be found on the PCN workspace of the NHS Futures website. If you are not a member of the PCN workspace, please email P_C_N-manager@future.nhs.uk.
4. Updating and reissuing the vaccine supply schedule for the week commencing 24 May.
5. Publishing revised FAQs on second dose vaccinations here https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/covid-19-vaccination-programme-faqs-on-second-doses/

Separately, we have also updated the General Practice COVID-19 vaccination programme 2020/21 Enhanced Service Specification to reflect the revised JCVI guidance on second dose appointments: see here. The changes have been agreed with the British Medical Association.

Thank you for all you are doing to support the COVID-19 vaccination programme and help protect those most vulnerable against variants.

Yours faithfully

Dr Nikki Kanani | Medical Director for Primary Care

Caroline Temmink | Director of Primary Care Vaccination