School staff urged not to jump vaccination queue by booking appointments via link meant for NHS staff

Headteachers in the Rochdale borough have been written to by Rochdale Council with a request to make sure school staff are not jumping the vaccination queue by booking appointments without an invitation.

An email from the council – leaked to The Mill – sent to all headteachers in the borough says 'some school based staff (and others), who are not part of the priority groups identified by government' are using a booking link intended for NHS staff and social care workers so they can be vaccinated, despite not being in a priority group.

In it, the council’s director of children’s services, Gail Hopper says: “For every vaccine given to someone outside the priority groups, the risk is increased of our most vulnerable residents being delayed in receiving it.

“It cannot be right that individuals use unauthorised routes when to do so denies others with entitlement. The question that I would ask is how would any of us feel if, by one of our colleagues accessing a vaccination, our mother or father was denied.”

Ms Hopper also warns that abuse of the system “will also increase the risk that NHSE cancels future supplies”, describing the scenario as “disastrous, given the success so far in delivering up to 1,200 daily vaccinations.”

A council spokesman confirmed the letter had been sent to headteachers, saying: “This letter was about a wider concern over the vaccination booking link being shared inappropriately, which has happened in many areas of the country. The letter is not about a problem at a specific school but an attempt to prevent abuse of the system.”

However, the email seems to contradict this, saying that school staff and others are known to have booked appointments when they weren’t invited, and actually receiving the vaccine: “We know that by it [the link to the booking system] being shared, some school based staff (and others), who are not part of the priority groups identified by government, have booked appointments. Indeed some been [sic] vaccinated. Others are now planning to do the same.”

The email ends by asking everyone who has booked an appointment through the link to cancel them, so it can be offered to someone in a priority group.

It also says that action has been taken to close the loophole in the booking process by requiring health and social care staff to bring ID and a letter that matches that ID from their employer to their vaccination.

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The email in full reads:

Dear head teacher,

I am sorry to have to write to you all about this matter and hope that you will understand my purpose for doing so.

It has come to our attention that a booking link sent to NHS employees to book a vaccination slot at one of the identified hospital sites, has been inappropriately shared. This was not the intention when the non-transferable link was provided and should not have happened. Not surprisingly it is now spreading widely.

This testing site in the hospitals listed are for NHS patients, staff and social care staff only. This protects community sites for the older age and high risk groups. We know that by it being shared, some school based staff (and others), who are not part of the priority groups identified by government, have booked appointments. Indeed some been [sic] vaccinated. Others are now planning to do the same.

Our concern is we are fully committed, to ensuring vaccinations are directed to priority groups first. Rochdale has a tight target to vaccinate all care home residents and staff, residents over 75 years and Clinically Extremely Vulnerable residents, along with NHS and social care staff by 15th February – if sufficient vaccine supplies reach us. This is a really challenging target. For every vaccine given to someone outside the priority groups, the risk is increased of our most vulnerable residents being delayed in receiving it.

The publicity of this happening would be very damaging for the borough. It will also increase the risk that NHSE cancels future supplies until it can be assured that the borough follows the required process. This would be disastrous, given the success so far in delivering up to 1,200 daily vaccinations.

I recognise that some colleagues feel unhappy that schools based staff have not been prioritised by government in the first two groups. I fully sympathise with that and if the choice was ours, schools staff would have been in the first group. We continue to lobby government about this issue. However, it cannot be right that individuals use unauthorised routes when to do so denies others with entitlement. The question that I would ask is how would any of us feel if, by one of our colleagues accessing a vaccination, our mother or father was denied.

As I’m sure you’ll recognise, we have to take action to prevent this activity. With immediate effect health and social care staff will be required to attend their booked appointment with ID and a letter that matches that ID from their employer / local authority. We have requested that anyone that cannot provide this be refused access.

We ask that you advise any colleagues who have accessed the link and plan to or have already booked an appointment not to do so. We would rather avoid the embarrassment of them not gaining admission to the vaccination site. Please ask anyone with an appointment booked to cancel it quickly, so it can be offered to those in priority groups. Could you also impress on staff the importance of not passing on this link to any others inside or outside the borough. Some may have received it from contacts in other boroughs as this link is shared with Bury, Oldham and Salford. Any such sharing undermines the efforts to ensure vaccinations are directed to priority groups first.

We continue to work locally to identify how we can ensure that all schools colleagues can be invited for vaccination and will try to do this as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your assistance in addressing this difficult issue.

Yours sincerely,

Gail Hopper

Director of Children’s Services

Rochdale Borough Council

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The Mill says it has been told how a small number of people, including some in their 20s, were able to use a booking link from the NCA to book and receive the first dose of the vaccine.

NHS Trusts in England use an online booking system, delivered by Swiftqueue Technologies, to organise vaccinations for health and social care workers, as well as hospital patients who are in the groups eligible for vaccination according to the JCVI.

The NCA, in this case, will send an email to those eligible for the vaccine which includes a link to access the Swiftqueue booking system and they can then choose between hospital vaccination centres in Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Salford. They then choose a time slot and enter personal information such as their name, address and date of birth.

This is a separate vaccination booking system to that used by the wider public in Greater Manchester. Last week, Swiftqueue released a statement in which they acknowledged that “a small number of clinics have had the queuing link shared with people that are not the intended recipients.” The company stated that those arriving to be vaccinated must show proof of eligibility and identity and that those who try to jump the queue will be turned away.

Further investigation by The Mill also revealed some of its reporters were able to use the link to successfully book a vaccination at Royal Oldham Hospital, saying they did not have to prove they were eligible and did not have to enter their NHS number.

The reporters did cancel the bookings so that eligible patients do not miss out, and informed the Northern Care Alliance of the loophole.

The Northern Care Alliance told The Mill, ‘everyone who attends a vaccination centre must show ID and proof of eligibility at the registration desk’ and 'if they cannot provide evidence that they’re eligible, they will be turned away'.