Further to the system letter of 22 June 2022, NHSE have published today new Enhanced Service Specifications (ES) for General Practice and Community Pharmacy Contractors for the period from 1 September 2022 to 31 March 2023 (phase 5).

Key changes to service specifications:

The majority of the service specifications for phase 5 remain the same as in the previous phase, although there are some changes and alignments between the two contracts.

Both community pharmacy and general practice must:

• have the ability to administer any adult vaccine type to ensure resilience across the network;
• ensure that delivery of COVID-19 vaccinations will not negatively affect their ongoing delivery of other services, recognising current pressures on general practitioners and pharmacy contractors;
• record COVID-19 vaccinations on the day that they are administered due to the clinical risks associated with data latency;
• agree with their Commissioner their role in the System to respond to a Surge where an increase in capacity is required both in terms of increased volume and/or timeframe.

As we move into a new phase of living with COVID-19, the financial mechanisms for the autumn/winter COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be brought in line with wider vaccination and immunisation services for general practice (the Item of Service fee will be £10.06 with an additional financial supplement of £10 per dose for the vaccination of housebound people).

In addition, funding will be devolved to ICSs to support improvement to access and help tackle health inequalities building on the learning and successes of the earlier phases. Allocations have been designed to reflect key population differences including: size; rurality; ethnicity; deprivation. This additional funding will help support a continued focus on tackling health inequalities.

The specifications include the potential to extend the contract length for up to an additional six months subject to further JCVI advice. NHS England will seek preliminary market engagement on COVID-19 vaccination from 2023/24 via a formal Prior Information Notice (PIN) to be issued shortly.

See here for more information on the GP specific changes.