Carers, whether paid or unpaid, can now be prioritised to access a COVID-19 vaccine.

Carers are described as those in receipt of a carer’s allowance and those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.

Adult carers who are flagged as such within GP systems will be offered a vaccination at their local GP-led service and are asked to wait to be contacted.

People aged 65 and over and those aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk have started to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.

GP practices are currently focusing on the vaccination of people aged 16-64 who are clinically vulnerable. As a result, people aged 65 and over may experience a long wait to be vaccinated at their local GP vaccination clinic.

The Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) have been working hard to prioritise organisations and individuals who are eligible for a vaccination as frontline health and social care workers (as defined within the Chapter 14a of the Green Book) to offer a vaccination. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-the-green-book-chapter-14a

Volunteers performing frontline health and social care roles are included within the priority groups for the vaccination programme

People aged 70 and over who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid and who would like to be are today being asked to contact the NHS to arrange a jab.

Until now the NHS has asked people to wait until they are contacted to help ensure that those who are most vulnerable are protected first - and that remains the case for most people. 

However, to ensure absolutely everyone is offered the vaccine, people aged 70 and over can now contact the NHS so they can be vaccinated by the middle of this month.

Staff and volunteers from Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector organisations who provide direct face-to-face care that poses a risk of exposure to COVID 19 can access the vaccination. 

In order to access the vaccinations at this time your service needs to be:

Coronavirus cases are rising rapidly across the country and as such the government has implemented a national lockdown 

This link has the full breakdown of what you can and cannot do during the lockdown.