Surrey County Council is coordinating the roll out of Covid-19 vaccinations to frontline social care staff – known nationally as cohort 2.
If you are working directly with people clinically vulnerable to Covid-19, either as an employee or as a volunteer, please continue reading…
If you have any questions, please contact socialcare.c19vaccination@surreycc.gov.uk and they will do their best to respond. Please prioritise this request as it is vitally important that as many frontline social care workers are vaccinated as quickly as possible to help save lives and protect the NHS.
- Identify any frontline social care workers (employed or volunteers) in your organisation/networks in Surrey who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.
The government definition link here is “All frontline social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to Covid-19 who need care and support irrespective of where they work (for example in people’s own homes, day centres, care homes for working age adults, or supported housing); whether they care for clinically vulnerable adults or children; or who they are employed by (for example local government, NHS private sector or third sector employees)”.
Surrey County Council (SCC) is working with you as trusted partners to identify those workers (employed or volunteers) you believe match this definition. In the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector this could for example include workers (employed or volunteers) who are directly working with people clinically vulnerable to Covid-19 to provide a befriending services, to run a dementia café or day centre, to deliver meals into people’s homes who are clinically vulnerable to Covid-19, to drive people who are clinically vulnerable to Covid-19 to medical appointments, or who are active volunteers in a homeless service.
An extract from the government’s standard operating procedure is at the end of this post to help you identify workers who are eligible. This is part of the government’s roll out of the vaccine to priority groups and it’s important that we adhere to this definition for eligibility. We understand that many in the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector will be doing really important resident facing work but unfortunately won’t fit the definition of “frontline social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to Covid-19 who need care and support”.
- Complete the Excel spreadsheet (link below) with details (name and job role) for your frontline social care workers (employed or volunteers) who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine and return to Surrey County Council at socialcare.c19vaccination@surreycc.gov.uk.
Link to Excel spreadsheet
Please also confirm on the spreadsheet the named person in your organisation who the Council should liaise with. Please consider how you can send the details securely in line with your existing systems and processes. If workers have already received their Covid-19 vaccination, or have already been offered an appointment via another route, don’t include them in your return.
On receipt of your response, the Council will send the named person in your organisation a link to the booking platform to enable eligible staff to book their Covid-19 vaccination at one of the hospital hubs. If you don’t have any workers who are eligible, then no response is needed.
Please be aware of a scam using texts and emails, which has been reported in the media. A person receives a text saying they need to book a vaccination appointment via a link, which takes them to a fake NHS form asking for their bank details to prove their identity. Please note that the vaccination for Covid-19 is an NHS service and will be free.
A series of frequently asked questions about the vaccination programme is available here. A useful leaflet with lots of information about the vaccination is also available in this link COVID-19 – Protection for social care staff (publishing.service.gov.uk). Please make these available to any eligible staff.
Extract from standard operating procedure – Frontline social care workers within the scope of this SOP
“All frontline social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to COVID19 who need care and support irrespective of where they work (for example in people’s own homes, day centres, care homes for working age adults or supported housing); whether they care for clinically vulnerable adults or children3 ; or who they are employed by (for example local government, NHS private sector or third sector employees)”
