Unpaid adult carers aged under 65 and young carers aged 16 or 17 are now included in group 6 on the priority list for the COVID-19 vaccine. Unpaid carers aged 65 and over will be offered the vaccine earlier as they are included in groups 2-5 which cover those aged 65 and above and those who are classed as clinically extremely vulnerable individuals or are front-line health and social care staff.

The governments definition of a Carer in relation to the vaccine is as follows 

“unpaid carers who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill”

So they ask that you are either in receipt of carers allowance OR are a main carer for someone who could not manage without the care and support you provide, should you fall ill. 

From our understanding, as a Carer you may care for someone that replies solely upon you, or you may be one of several people who provide care to someone elderly or disabled and each play a vital role in that persons care. Both would fall within the above definition.

In order to manage this locally, the St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group (responsible for the local roll out of the vaccine) have advised that carers should be registered as a carer with their own GP in order to be contacted to access the vaccine. So it is important that your GP knows you are a Carer and that this is detailed on your GP record in order for them to notify you when they are delivering vaccines to group 6. 

So being invited for the vaccine is completely reliant upon you being recorded as a carer with your GP practice and this is not related to the person you care for and their practice.

If your GP practice does not know that you are a Carer or you think they know but you are unsure if you are "coded" as such on your record, please message them electronically via their website or email explaining that you are a carer who is either in receipt of Carers allowance or caring for someone elderly/disabled that could not manage without your care & support should you fall ill. Requesting them to update your record as such in readiness for the covid vaccine.

For more information from the local covid vaccine roll -out press here:

https://www.sthelensccg.nhs.uk/covid-19-information/covid-19-vaccine-update/