The Government has advised that from 1st April 2021 all clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) patients in England will no longer be required to shield; all CEV patients should have received a letter notifying them of this. Community pharmacy contractors should therefore be aware of the following:

Pandemic Delivery Service for CEV patients
The Pandemic Delivery Service for CEV patients will finish on 31st March 2021. No further deliveries should be made to these patients, under the service, after this date.

The service for people who have been notified of the need to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace continues to be commissioned until 30th June 2021.

Supporting CEV staff
NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a letter for primary care teams on supporting CEV staff once shielding is paused. It advises that employers, should refresh risk assessments for all CEV staff to determine the appropriate work arrangements from 1st April, reflecting the current workplace context, as well as including next steps to support these staff members.