MMR Vaccination for Primary Care
Campaign Delivery
Although the campaigns are targeted at younger cohorts patients of any age may request MMR vaccination.
Current Campaigns
As part of the nationally set catch-up campaign GP practices are required to undertake local call and recall for eligible individuals aged 12 months up to and including 5 years. This catch-up campaign has now been extended to 6 – 11 year olds with NHS England launching a call/recall for parents/carers of 6 - 11 year olds in February and March 2024. Communications will be sent via text message, email and letter. There is also the locally led accelerator programme for 17 – 30 year olds where practices can either choose to undertake the call/recall and vaccinations themselves or request Somerset Foundation Trust undertake this on their behalf.
Key actions practices can undertake
The practice action checklist amended for NHS Somerset identifies the key actions practices can undertake to improve MMR uptake.
Communications
Practices should look at how they can regularly utilise social media, practice TV screens, notice boards, their day to day interactions with patients and any other communication routes. There are a number of assets available for this purpose in the communications section.
Checking vaccination history
We are aware that GP Practices may get requests to check vaccination status especially where patients have received a reminder but believe themselves to be fully vaccinated. Whilst patients are able to check the NHS App, with family or their childhood medical book (red book) these do not always provide the required information or require specific interpretation for those born prior to the MMR vaccination and booster being introduced. We therefore recommend practices have an internal process in order to manage these requests alongside proactive call and recall including ensuring where vaccination status is not recorded appropriately the records are updated as per the most up to date business rules.
Capacity in General Practice
We recognise that capacity may be limited in General Practice and some practices may have more requests they can manage or may have identified local outreach work to be beneficial but not be able to undertake this. We ask that you contact the NHS Somerset Mass Vaccination team somicb.mass.vacc@nhs.net if any additional support is required.
The Somerset Foundation Trust Mass Vaccination Team is also running some clinics for patients ages 17 -30 that patients and healthcare workers can also be signposted.
MMR Vaccination: Update on the position for PCNs and the Network Contract DES
PCNs cannot, under the Network Contract DES, collaborate during core hours to provide routine vaccinations to their collective registered population.
However, under the Network Contract DES, practices can collaborate to provide routine vaccinations during the Network Standard Hours (evenings from 6.30pm to 8pm and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm) - section 9, specifically para 8.1.7). These routine vaccination appointments can be booked in advance or on the same day. As such, a PCN can provide routine vaccinations to their collective registered patients and this would include those eligible for an MMR vaccination. The patient’s registered practice would be eligible for the item of service payment and the PCN practices will need to agree how this is managed between them. Pending how the vaccination event is recorded in the patient’s medical record, please note that it will be made to the patient’s registered practice if picked up via GPES. PCNs may wish to incorporate within their Network Agreement details of the service, including information on vaccine handling.
PCNs can offer pre-booked and on the day appointments as part of enhanced access, so if a PCN would like to use a proportion of their Saturday appointments to offer and provide MMR vaccinations then they can do so under the DES.
Patient Group Direction (PGD)
The current MMR PGD expires on the 28 February, and therefore any vaccination staff will need to be signed off on the new version to be able to continue administering MMR vaccines legally after this date.
