COVID-19 Staff Vaccination Information

The information on this page is designed specifically for staff at our Trust. The information may not be applicable to the general public, and unless you are a member of staff you should click here to find dedicated COVID-19 Information.
 
Vaccination and Pregnancy - The JCVI (The Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation) has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group. For more information, see the COVID-19 Vaccine - Fertility and Pregnancy Hub. 

Your COVID-19 vaccination elsewhere

Where can I get my first vaccine and which brands are available where?

Whittington Hospital Staff Clinic

Updated: 25-11-21 - You can have your first, second, third or booster vaccine doses in the Old Social Club located under the Jenner Building, Monday to Friday between 9.30am - 4pm. Just walk in, you don't need an appointment.
 
Please bring your NHS Number, which you can get via the Find your NHS number website. We are providing the Pfizer vaccine. For more information see the Vaccine Clinic opening announcement.
 
To get a vaccine elsewhere, visit www.nhs.uk/coronavirus or call 119 (free). For more information about vaccine clinics in the North Central London area see the NCL CCG website.

How do I get the second dose of the vaccine?

Whittington Hospital
Updated: 25-11-21 - You can have your first, second, third or booster vaccine doses in the Old Social Club located under the Jenner Building, Monday to Friday between 9.30am - 4pm. Just walk in, you don't need an appointment. Please bring your NHS Number, which you can get via the Find your NHS number website. We are providing the Pfizer vaccine. For more information see the Vaccine Clinic opening announcement.  
Other locations
To be updated.
 

How do I find out my NHS number?

Your NHS number will be on any letters you receive from your GP or hospitals, alternatively you can find out your NHS Number online.

I have had my COVID-19 vaccination elsewhere

Updated 1-12-21: Public vaccine centres are offering walk-ins to health and social care staff for the COVID-19 booster. While some people have already been offered the COVID-19 booster or the flu vaccine by their GP practice.
 
The complexity of the vaccine programme means that some colleagues records may show that they have not taken the vaccine when they have in fact done so, outside of the Trust.
 
Should you have had either your flu jab or COVID-19 booster dose elsewhere (at a non-Trust site), please let us know by completing this form.

COVID-19 Vaccine, Booster and flu jab open forum December 2021

COVID-19 vaccine information

What vaccines have been approved?

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, medical and scientific professionals have been working to develop a vaccine to help stop the spread of the virus. We have all felt the impact of the pandemic, and this has been the most challenging year in NHS history.
 
On 2 December 2020, the first COVID-19 vaccine, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, was approved by the UK's independent regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as safe and effective in helping prevent the spread of the virus. The second COVID-19 vaccine, the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine, was approved by the MHRA  on 30 December 2020, with the Government announcing its intention to roll out use of the vaccine as soon as possible. A third vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, was approved on 8 January 2021.
 
There are other potential COVID-19 vaccines progressing toward approval too. The vaccine candidates have undergone months of rigorous testing and will not be used until the strict safety approval processes have been met. The NHS will offer a COVID-19 vaccination only when it has been approved by the MHRA.

Who is due to get a vaccine?

The Trust's vaccination roll-out began on Wednesday 30 December with the arrival of our first batch of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. In line with JCVI Advice we are prioritising any patients aged over 80 who are clinically suitable to be vaccinated.
 
We will contact wards and departments to ask staff to come for their vaccine even if they haven’t booked - please can you keep an eye out for this and respond promptly if you are contacted, you will be told the times the clinic will be open for this.
 
See Siobhan Harrington's letter to staff encouraging staff to have their first vaccination dose as the public programme expands to reach more age groups (20 January 2021)
 
As a frontline healthcare worker, you are at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19, which is why you are among the first groups to be offered the vaccine. Ensuring you are kept safe is a priority and getting vaccinated means you can be there for your patients and loved ones. This will also ensure services are safe and accessible for people throughout the winter period and beyond.
 
Getting vaccinated means protecting yourself from the virus so you can be there for your family, friends and patients. When the vaccine becomes available, we encourage you to protect yourself and others, by getting your COVID-19 vaccine. For more information, see the attached leaflet, 'Protection for healthcare workers'. 

What is the interval between vaccines?

A national policy decision has been made to extend the maximum timeframe between receiving the first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to twelve weeks. For more information relating to this decision, see the independent report from the JCVI on Optimising the COVID-19 vaccination programme for maximum short-term impact.  
 
NHS England has also distributed some FAQs and answers on the dose interval changes, while a joint letter to staff from our Medical Director, Dr Clare Dollery and Chief Nurse, Michelle Johnson can be viewed here.  

COVID-19 vaccine question areas

Allergies

Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Anyone with a previous history of allergic reactions to the ingredients of the vaccine should not receive it, but those with any other allergies such as a food allergy can now have the vaccine. To see the short update from the MHRA relating to the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine scroll down this GOV.UK web page (30 December 2020).

Fertility and pregnancy

We understand that some of our colleagues may have questions around the safety of the vaccine in relation to pregnancy and fertility in general.
 
As a Trust, we want our staff to have access to accurate and trusted sources of information and so we have answered some of the most commonly asked questions in a series of videos  and Q&As that have been written by and feature our own staff.
 
Please visit our COVID-19 vaccine and fertility  hub page which has resources and trusted sources of information available.

How the vaccines work

A webinar, led by our Medical Director Dr Clare Dollery and Chief Nurse Michelle Johnson, that looks at the science and safety behind the vaccine's development.




The Grand Round presentation all about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination. The science behind it, how it works and answers to many of the questions put to Dr Clare Dollery (Medical Director), Stuart Richardson (Chief Pharmacist), Breeda McManus (Deputy Chief Nurse) and Dr Michael Kelsey (Consultant in Medical Microbiology and Virology).

Amma Kyei-Mensah explains why she has had her COVID-19 vaccine

Amma Kyei-Mensah, a Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology talks about why she got her COVID-19 vaccine in this short video.

 

Information on/from trusted websites

Brochures and other products

Specialist and clinical information

Myth-busting resources

Letter from Lenny Henry

Sir Lenny Henry and some of his celebrity friends have recorded an open letter to black people encouraging them to get the COVID-19 vaccination when offered.

 

Page last updated: 13 Dec 2021
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