I realise that it is important to ensure that anyone involved in any medical procedure should be properly vetted; however, in the case of COVID-19 vaccinations a pragmatic approach should be taken. We have already seen this in the swift approval of the vaccines themselves. There is a number of methods that could be used to reduce the number of modules required and, thus, the time wasted and frustration caused to senior retired medical staff. Firstly, an extension to the validity of modules could be made such that those who have retired recently could be made exempt. Secondly, a local panel could be established to approve a retired Doctor or Nurse who has worked either for the area’s general practice or hospital and/or who is known to panel members. Thirdly, a review of the module checklist should be made: do retired medical staff really need to do all the modules if only administering an injection? Fourthly, could a lesser list be established if the understanding is that the retired medical staff member administers the vaccine in a medical establishment such as a GP’s surgery; in this way he or she would be ‘under supervision’ and could ‘call on assistance if necessary’.
320-11