COVID-19: Osteopaths eligible for vaccination of front line workers

NHS England and NHS Improvement issued vaccination of front line health and social care guidance on 7 January 2021, explaining the recommendations of the Joint Committee for Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI) in relation to the vaccination of front line health and social care workers.

‘JCVI recommend that … you should give priority to frontline staff “at high risk of acquiring infection, at high individual risk of developing serious disease, or at risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment”. This includes but is not limited to:

• staff working on the vaccination programme
• staff who have frequent face-to-face contact with patients and who are directly involved in patient care in either secondary or primary care, mental health, urgent and emergency care and community settings
• those working in independent, voluntary and non-standard healthcare settings such as hospices, and community-based mental health or addiction services’

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to follow suit shortly.

Osteopaths are regulated health professionals and, in England, allied health professionals. Osteopaths working within the independent sector and NHS are eligible for the vaccination as front line health and social care workers if they have ‘frequent face to face contact with patients and … are directly involved in patient care’.

To establish whether a person is an osteopath or not, you can confirm their registration at: osteopathy.org.uk/register-search