Checked your Covid-19 Collaboration Agreement?

With the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccination programme by general practice starting next week, practices need to agree the terms on which they will collaborate to deliver the programme in accordance with the vaccination enhanced service specification: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/12/C0917-Covid-19-Enhanced-Service-ES-Specification-v.2-4-December-2020-1.pdf

Each practice participating in the programme has to be part of a “PCN grouping” and sign up to a collaboration agreement. NHS England has produced a template agreement: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/covid-19-vaccination-programme-2020-21-covid-19-enhanced-service-vaccination-collaboration-agreement/. However, this will require some bespoke adaptation for individual groupings to deal effectively with matters such as governance, data sharing, apportionment of risk and liability and funding.

With the rapid roll out of the vaccine and mixed public perception of it, practices need to be particularly mindful of the need to obtain patients’ informed consent. Our trainee solicitor and qualified pharmacist Thorrun Govind has written a short article on this subject HERE.