London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Covid vaccine: Teachers sent Covid jab booking link for NHS staff

Covid vaccine: Teachers sent Covid jab booking link for NHS staff

Hundreds of teachers in London have been able to book Covid vaccine slots despite not being in the top priority groups, after they were forwarded messages intended for NHS workers.

A booking link and passcode meant for staff at Barts Health NHS Trust were circulated via Whatsapp to staff at local schools, teachers told the BBC.

Some have received a jab as a result.

The trust said it was investigating and will take steps to improve the security of its booking system.

The government told the BBC's Newscast podcast in a statement it was "absolutely critical that vaccines are offered in the priority order".

Teachers at schools in north and east London - including in Hackney, Camden and Barnet - said the messages had been sent via school management and were spreading in WhatsApp groups with dozens of members.

Newscast found that it was still possible to book an appointment using the information in the messages on Thursday evening.

One teacher who booked an appointment, and who asked to remain anonymous, said it was "not a case of trying to jump the queue".

"When the appointment was confirmed I was surprised, thinking that it would have been refused if teachers were not actually entitled to these vaccines," they said.

"The conflicting and changing guidance from the government made me feel like it was possible that this was a genuine offer for teachers that had just not been passed on."

They added: "Obviously, teachers will only have the vaccine when it is made available to us."

A message intended for NHS staff was circulated on teachers' WhatsApp groups
Another teacher said they, too, were surprised to find they could book an appointment.

"I thought this must be a local ad hoc way of avoiding wasting vaccines that hadn't been taken up. But I did some research and concluded this wasn't right," the teacher said.

"I think the problem is that people think this is genuine and don't think it's a loophole, but a local policy. It's not malicious or about queue-jumping."



Barts Health NHS Trust confirmed that a booking link for its own employees was forwarded to local school staff and that this should not have happened.

It said it was investigating the source of the messages and measures were being put in place to make the booking system more secure.

It said anyone attending an appointment who is ineligible to do so would be turned away and that members of the public should not book an appointment until they have been contacted directly by the NHS.

In a statement, the trust said that it was vaccinating frontline staff and their relatives - where relevant - in line with national guidance.

"To avoid waste, any unfilled vaccination slots are offered to other staff working within our hospitals," it said.


It comes after reports that Rochdale Borough Council in Greater Manchester wrote to head teachers accusing some school staff of trying to get jabs via an "inappropriately shared" email.

Vaccination centres in Rochdale will now require people to show proof of employment in order to prevent people from being able to circumnavigate the system.

The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, warned that anyone who had received a vaccine under those circumstances would be investigated and appropriate action taken to ensure that vaccines are given to those in greatest need.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Sir Richard said some people were "fiddling the system, using other people's links to get access".

"People should not go before they are called to go as you are taking a slot away from someone in greater need," he said.

"If people are gaming the system, if they are using other people's names, and they are not in priority groups, they are denying somebody at greater risk a vaccine and given the primary objective of this first half of the first phase is to save lives and take the pressure off our hospitals, they are also undermining our efforts to do that."

He added: "We will eventually be able to identify anyone who has had a vaccine ahead of their eligibility criteria."

The NHS is currently only offering vaccines to people within England's first four priority groups, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidelines.

This does not include teachers, unless they also meet age or health-related criteria.

The Department for Health and Social Care said: "It is absolutely critical that vaccines are offered in the priority order, as determined by the JCVI, and we expect everyone involved in vaccinations to follow this guidance closely."

"Vaccinating these groups first will save the most lives and provide the quickest and safest route out of the pandemic."

Almost 10.5 million people in the UK have now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the government's coronavirus dashboard, and more than 500,000 have received their second dose.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×