INDEPENDENT health and care professionals in north east Essex are being encouraged to register for a coronavirus vaccination.

The jabs will be issued on behalf of the NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.

Health and care professionals who work in the NHS do not need to register as their details are already on file - but independent providers who offer their services privately do need to make contact.

Examples of those professionals providing face-to-face services encouraged to apply include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers and other allied health professionals, as well as mental health workers such as psychologists.

Health care workers also include those working in independent, voluntary and non-standard healthcare settings such as hospices, and community-based mental health or addiction services.

Anyone who works in these professions and has frequent face-to-face clinical contact with patients or are directly involved in patient care and has not received an invitation for a vaccination is asked to send an email with their name, organisation name, profession, location and organisation's email address to neeccg.vacresponse@nhs.net.

Lizzie Mapplebeck, who is leading on the workforce vaccination project for the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System, said: “The vaccination rollout for NHS staff is going well, but it is important we reach all providers of health and care services who work independently.

"I encourage them to make contact with us so they can be booked in to receive a vaccination.”