Vaccine Roll Out: What this means for our registrants

It is with some relief that we responded to the positive news that the Government has begun to roll out the vaccine. Our registrants have been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 for the past nine months. We welcome the developments that have been made, the fact that a vaccine has been approved for use, and that there are others in the pipeline.

As the vaccine roll out has now begun, we have prepared detailed FAQs for our registrants, and we encourage you all to read them. We have consistently highlighted the role which our registrants can play in the roll out of the vaccine, both through formal consultation responses, and through conversations with MPs and NHS colleagues. Our message has been simple: Many of HCPC’s registrants have the ability to play a crucial role in the roll-out of the vaccine throughout the UK.

This includes our registrants who are able to issue prescription only medicines, through Independent Prescribing rights or through Patient Group Directions. We have encouraged the Government and the NHS to make use of these professionals, as it may mean the vaccine roll out reaches those who are unable to attend hospital settings, who are often among the most vulnerable in society.

We are also stressing the importance of the inclusion of HCPC registrants in any plans to vaccinate health and care staff. Some of our registrants have health conditions of their own, and others, work with extremely vulnerable people. We want to ensure that our registrants can continue to offer service users and patients the best possible care, whilst keeping themselves and the public safe.

As more vaccine approvals are in the pipeline, we will continue to make the case for the involvement of HCPC registrants in future roll outs. We hope that the Government will make use of all the professionals who are able to issue vaccines, this will ensure the vaccine is rolled out as quickly as possible, to as many people as possible.