Greater and Clyde NHS Board JB Russell House Gartnavel Royal 1055 Great Western Road GLASGOW G12 0XH

Tel. 0141-201-4444 Fax. 0141-201-4601 Textphone: 0141-201-4479 www.nhsggc.org.uk

Letter to Care Home Managers Date: 8 December 2020 Our Ref: LdeC/RB – Care Home Managers

Enquiries to: Linda de Caestecker Direct Line: 0141 201 4623 E-mail: [email protected]

Dear Colleague

Covid Vaccination for care home residents and staff

You will be aware that the first vaccine for COVID19 has been authorised for use in the UK and the first deliveries were received on 5th December.

At this stage there is a limited supply of the vaccine but residents and staff of care homes for older adults are a priority to be vaccinated along with front-line health and social care staff.

This first priority group will continue to be vaccinated during December 2020 and all of January 2021.

Due to the complexities of the vaccine it is not possible to bring the vaccine out to homes yet although it is hoped that it will be possible to start this before the end of December. As soon as we receive the guidance that it is possible to take the vaccine to individual care homes, NHS staff will come to care homes to deliver the vaccine to staff and residents.

From 9th December we will run vaccination clinics at the Louisa Jordan Hospital for NHS and care home staff.

From the 14th December there will also be clinics for NHS and care home staff set up at the locations in the appendix to this letter.

Due to limited supply in the first two weeks, we are prioritising staff in large care homes (due to evidence that there is more risk of transmission in these homes) that have no current outbreak. If your home does not come into these categories, I wish to reassure you that we will be visiting care homes to deliver vaccine to staff and residents as soon as supplies are available.

Information packs will be delivered to care homes on the 11th December including information about the vaccine for staff and patient.

http://www.publichealthscotland.scot/covidvaccinescw http://www.nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccine

You will be receiving information about getting consent for residents to be vaccinated. I would ask you to progress this as soon as possible and when 75% of your residents are in a position to be vaccinated, please contact Nicholas Henry at [email protected] to let us know so that we can arrange the vaccination team to attend your care home. For some homes this will not occur until early January but I wish to reassure you that we will visit every home as quickly as possible when supplies of the vaccine are available.

Planning to deliver vaccination will be complex given the fragility of the vaccine and teams will have to work in defined geographical areas with groups of homes.

We will keep in touch with you via your local Commissioning Manager.

I am writing separately to the care homes whose staff will be invited for vaccinations this week and next week.

Community venues Appendix 1

A venue has still to be identified in East Renfrewshire

Clinic Venue

Gartnavel General Hospital 6th Floor

Glasgow Royal Infirmary Lecture Theatre

Inverclyde Royal Hospital Lecture Theatre, Education Centre

Louisa Jordan Hospital Hall 2

Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Atrium, Institute of Neurosciences and Spinal Unit

Royal Alexandra Hospital Lecture Theatre 2

Stobhill ACH Seminar Room 6

St Mirren football stadium, Renfrewshire

The Concord Centre, Dumbarton

Yours sincerely

Dr Linda de Caestecker Director of Public Health NHS and Clyde

Cc Commissioning Managers