NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group has taken the decision to include all adults with learning disabilities who are on the GP learning disability registers in the first phase of the vaccination delivery in order to mitigate health inequalities.
There are about 9,500 people in Kent and Medway on GP learning disability registers.
Residents of care homes for people with learning disabilities are being vaccinated and those living independently or with family will be contacted via their GP service. The Community Learning Disability Nursing Team is providing a service to vaccinate adults with learning disabilities who are not able to attend the primary care network vaccine sites.
During December 2020 there was an increase in the number of people with learning disabilities dying from Covid-19. In response, NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group has adapted the local vaccine implementation plan to respond to this health inequality impacting our learning disabled population.
Adapting the priority list to reflect evidenced local need will not disrupt other vaccination priorities but allows for the inclusion of an additional clinically vulnerable group, in line with the national contract and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance.