Housebound are still missing out on coronavirus vaccine due to 'vaccination blind spot'

Housebound people are still missing out on the COVID-19 vaccine, sparking fears from home care providers that those reliant on home care are trapped in a “vaccination blind spot”.

The boss of home care provider Cera has said only a fifth of the 10,000 elderly people it cares for at home have received a coronavirus jab.

More than half (55 per cent) of these people are aged over 80 and the rest are in their 60s and 70s.

With many older people too frail or with health conditions that stop them from travelling to vaccination appointments, home care providers fear people reliant on home care will be forgotten as the vaccine rollout shifts further down the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)'s priority list.

‘Vaccination blind spot’

Cera chief executive Dr Ben Maruthappu said it had for several weeks “been warning of a vaccination blind spot among older people requiring home care” and its own data and data for the vaccination rollout itself highlight “unfortunately this is still the case”.

“Those yet to receive the vaccine are either unable or unwilling to attend remote appointments, and aren’t receiving the vaccine in their home with urgency.

“If we don’t address this deficit as soon as possible, these people risk being forgotten as the rollout shifts focus to younger, less clinically vulnerable groups.”

Care provider CHD Care at Home has confirmed that, so far, only a third of its home care clients have been able to receive the vaccine, compared with 80 per cent of residents across the group's care homes.

CHD Care at Home said that of the 180 people it cares for classed as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ in Surrey and south London, only 91 have received the vaccine.

The care provider fears many people living in their own homes are being ‘neglected’ as they are unable to travel to vaccination centres or are too scared to in case they catch the virus.

Some home care clients are also anxious about catching the virus if they attend a hospital or a GP surgery, and others have fallen prey to anti-vaxxer disinformation.

Extra £10 for GPs for every jab given for housebound

Shaleeza Hasham, head of hospitality and communications at CHD Care at Home, which operates 12 care centres and two home care agencies in Surrey and South London, said: ”The housebound elderly and those receiving care at home have been somewhat neglected”.

"Although vaccination appointments are becoming available, they are being offered at incredibly short notice to people of restricted mobility, who have limited means of transportation and no way of accessing them."

The NHS has said it will pay GPs an extra £10 for every COVID-19 vaccination they deliver to someone who cannot leave their home but many home care providers want more mobile vaccination units across the UK now.

Ms Hasham added: “The majority of people receiving care at home fall into the vulnerable category and will have been shielding for almost a year.

“To expect these people, who are generally keen and eager to receive the vaccination, to make their own arrangements or to risk taking public transport to receive their vaccinations is unrealistic and unfair."

More than 15 million people across the UK have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and people aged over 65, carers and 16 to 64-year-olds with underlying health conditions are now being contacted.

Last week, care minister Helen Whately announced a national vaccine booking system was now open for home care workers who have not had their first dose of the vaccine.

The announcement follows a poll of staff published recently by UK Homecare Association (UKHCA) which found 32 per cent of England’s home care workers have been vaccinated showing "clear evidence of strong willingness" on the part of most home care workers to receive the jab, but a “substantial variation” in vaccination rates between local authorities.

The national booking service for vaccination appointments is available here.