'Vast majority' of care home residents in Hartlepool expected to have been vaccinated by end of week

Health chiefs at Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which covered Hartlepool, have confirmed GP practices across the area have now offered the vaccine to all care home residents – with the exception of a few groups.

Residents who are covid positive, hospital in-patients not in the homes, or homes where there may be a covid outbreak have not been included in the first jab offer.

However, care homes where residents and staff have not yet received the vaccine are being visited this week.

A CCG spokeswoman said: “GP practices are working hard to deliver the covid vaccination across the Tees Valley.

“We have received assurances from our Primary Care Networks (PCNs) that the vaccination has been offered to 100% of care home residents – with the exception of those that are either covid-19 positive, in-patients not in the home, or where there may be an outbreak and the vaccination teams cannot visit the homes.

“Of those offered and accepted, 100% are expected to be undertaken.

“Care homes where residents and staff have not already received the vaccine are being visited this week.”

Karen Hawkins, the Tees Valley CCG’s director of commissioning, said her organisation did not yet have comprehensive data on the exact numbers vaccinated as figures were held nationally

But she added it was hoped full figures would be available this week, and shared with directors of public health in Tees Valley to “ensure we work together to address any inequality across the system.

“We are trying to get the data and get it broken down by cohort so we know who has been vaccinated and who still needs it,” she said.

Ms Hawkins was speaking at a meeting of Redcar and Cleveland Council’s adult and communities scrutiny and improvement committee.

Ministers announced at the beginning of this week that people over the age of 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable in England will begin receiving invites for their coronavirus vaccination.

More than five million people across priority groups three and four will receive the jab at vaccination sites that have the capacity, as part of the Government’s vaccination rollout programme.

The Government has said it will continue to prioritise the first two priority groups - which include care home residents and their carers, and over-80s, frontline health and social care workers - but that clinics in areas where the majority of these people had received their a jab would now start inviting groups three and four.

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