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Doctors would be forced to throw away the vaccines rather than administering second doses or using them on staff.
The revelation comes as hospitals are increasingly overwhelmed by the outbreak of COVID patients as the virus continues to spread across the UK.
General practitioners who set up vaccination clinics on short notice and find that they have several injection doses left have been warned by local authorities that they cannot use them on staff or on patients who have already received their first vaccine.
Doctors say the policy, which has been described as “on the verge of criminal”, hinders the effort to vaccinate over 80s, as well as health and frontline workers.
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The instructions are being broadcast nationwide, according to The Telegraph.
Dr Robert Morely, director of professional support at the Birmingham Local Medical Committee, told the publication that the prescriptions are “extremely counterproductive, absurd and ridiculous”.
He said: “It is ridiculous, bordering on criminal, to waste vaccines when you have the worst global health crisis in a century.”
Dr Morley said GPs are struggling to book the exact number of appointments per vaccine due to supply chain uncertainty. He added that some patients do not show up after booking on short notice.
Instead of throwing away the remaining doses, Morley said: “The logical thing to do would be to use it as a second dose for healthcare workers, for example, who may be there in the building.
NHS England reportedly sent a letter to GPs on Monday telling clinics no one should receive a second dose, but Morley says he believes the ‘strong decree’ is being taken too literally by local health officials.
Morley said some doctors are taking a stand against the policy and are “very tough” in deciding to give the second dose.
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But he added that others “feel less secure and more threatened” for fear that their vaccine supplies will be canceled at short notice, their funding will be withheld or their GP contracts could be put at risk.
It comes as healthcare workers continue to administer the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine, which forms a large part of the UK’s current vaccine supply. Batches only last a few days after being thawed, so they have to be used quickly or they are wasted.
Dr Brian McGregor, a general practitioner who chairs the Yorkshire regional committee of the BMA, told the Telegraph that NHS England has ordered its local clinical commissioning group to throw away any unused doses.
McGregor claimed they had been warned they would be “performance-driven” on the issue.
“They control our contracts, our payments, the vaccine supply, the regulations and can make life unbearable,” the doctor added.
Dr Julia Patterson, founder of Every Doctor, a campaign to protect the NHS and its workers, echoed claims that at least six different workplaces have told her organization doctors have been forced to stockpile the remaining doses .
BMA board chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul told the newspaper: “Reports of vaccination sites feeling pressured to dispose of unused doses of Pfizer vaccine are of great concern.
“This is absolutely unacceptable and morally wrong. Any wasted dose robs a real person of the possibility of being protected from serious illness or even death. “
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He said: “NHS England needs to urgently clarify that doctors and staff have the discretion to ensure they can make full use of any unused vaccines, rather than wasting them.”
An NHS spokesperson told media: ‘There is absolutely no reason for vaccines to be wasted.
“Local immunization sites should maintain their appointment lists to make sure all appointments are filled and they have a back-up list of patients and staff who can receive the vaccine on short notice.”
Yahoo News has contacted NHS England for comment.
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