Chamber and committees

NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, health boards along with GPs are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance.

In Scotland, we already deliver nearly two million doses of vaccine routinely every year and we have a comprehensive delivery infrastructure in place. Our Flu Vaccination and COVID-19 Vaccine programme board has a national delivery framework to support deployment plans from each Health Board. This includes logistics such as who delivers the vaccination and how it is stored. Clinical advice indicates that overall levels of seasonal flu circulating are very low, and therefore associated risks are lower than in previous years.

Given the prevalence of COVID-19 across Scotland, delivery for the COVID -19 vaccination programme is being taken forward by Health Boards. The workforce will be pivoted and resources redirected to the planning and delivery the COVID -19 vaccination programme. The COVID-19 vaccination programme builds on pre-existing arrangements for vaccination delivery in Scotland. This includes use of pre-existing vaccination holding and delivery locations, cold-chain and delivery arrangements and staff resource. In the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, in cohorts 3-5, some boards have used the same infrastructure as the delivery of their annual flu programme, particularly the ones who opted for a GP delivery model.

Moving forward to larger cohorts, it will be harder for boards to sustain the same delivery model as the flu vaccination programme due to the larger populations needing to be vaccinated and balancing second dose appointments. Consideration also needs to be given to make the programme as inclusive as possible and tailor delivery models for harder to reach communities. We are working with health boards to develop plans for future cohorts.

Regardless of delivery models, lessons learned from previous vaccination programmes are always taken into consideration when planning new programmes. The COVID-19 vaccination programme builds upon, and extends, infrastructure used for flu vaccinations. Workforces, such as vaccinators, support and administrative staff, are being deployed on the programme. GP practices are contributing to the programme and other facilities like town halls and football stadiums have been utilised for COVID-19 vaccinations via health board teams. Digital infrastructure used for flu, such as the NHS Inform and Public Health Scotland websites will also be utilised as information resources for people who wish to seek information on the COVID-19 vaccine.