News

NHS England to recommission flu vaccinations in community pharmacies for 2016/17

NHS England has announced it will recommission the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination programme in 2016/17, after nearly a quarter of a million more people benefited from vaccinations in a community pharmacy setting during the previous year.

A total of 10,407,913 seasonal flu vaccinations were delivered in 2015/16. This included 240,259 additional patients who chose to receive vaccinations in a community pharmacy compared to the previous year. The number of the most vulnerable patients receiving flu vaccination (those in an ‘at risk’ category and pregnant women) also increased, despite the mild winter.

The terms and fees for the recommissioned service will remain the same as in the 2015/16 and the early announcement this year will support pharmacies in managing and ordering vaccine stocks.

Keith Ridge, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, said: “Our flu vaccination service made it possible for nearly a quarter of a million more people last year to receive a vaccination in their local community pharmacy of choice. We are pleased to confirm that we will continue to offer this more convenient option to the public during the year ahead.”

20 comments

  1. Rising 65 says:

    The mass vaccination clinics operated by our GP have the privacy of a nudist camp and the decorum of a jumble sale!

    Much better to get a walk-in service in the calm atmosphere of a pharmacy consulting room.

  2. Anonymous says:

    vaccines are a good concept with enough staff, but in the real pharmacy world this does not happen

    how can pharmacist cope with prescription volumes, murs, nms other services

    shortage of staff, pressure from companies, area managers,owners, pressure from staff

    and still do flu vaccines. this should be done in the surgeries.

    more work, more pressure, less staff more mistakes. some thing will have to give. it is a matter of time before a bog incidence happen

    what next pharmacist will have do do all of the doctors work

    this does not happen in other countries. i guess this is an imperial british concept of adding more pressure

  3. RP says:

    Protectionism of GPs going on here. GPs are independent contractors just like pharmacies. The surplus money from Flu vaccines does not go in to the NHS at GP surgeries but adds to GPs profit. Give patients a choice, most would choose pharmacy due to easier access.

  4. Chair of GP practice PPG says:

    Much better to pay the money to GP surgeries to do the job. Pharmacies have all the advantages of high street visibility and advertising which GPs cannot match and cannot compete with. Keep NHS money within the NHS and support local surgeries!

  5. teguhiw says:

    that is a good news. flu is an easy disease to spread. need much vaccine to prevent it.

  6. Patrick says:

    Primary Care is already privatized – GP’s are individual businesses who have a contract to deliver health services for the NHS and CCG’s – pharmacy and others are the same

    The NHS is not free we pay a lot of money for treatmant

  7. Anonymous says:

    Unfortunate choice to re-commission, would be interesting to understand the amount of duplicated vaccinations due to the lack of timely communication from pharmacies to GP practices, and how many patients the GP deemed not fit for vaccination due to poor health etc. were vaccinated by a pharmacist without that clinical insight. Puts way to much risk into the system and breaks down vital health provider relationships.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Please make sure the list of participating pharmacies is available on the internet.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Dissapointing news. No surprises though, outsourcing to private companies. Classic.

  10. Anonymous says:

    It makes ordering of vaccines for the season in GP surgeries difficult and led to a lot of vaccine wasteage !

  11. Julie says:

    The CPO is correct, more people have been vaccinated in their community pharmacy, but it’s not a quarter of a million more vaccinated: it’s 1 million less vaccinated overall, than in 2014/15.

    The choice for patients is good but the notification to practices is often slow & can risk duplicate vaccination. I agree with you Jenny, it feels like a more fragmented service as we’re chasing patients who may already have been vaccinated elsewhere.

    Are pharmacies dealing with any vaccination after-effect queries too?

    The perennial problem is inadequate resources to vaccinate the housebound [not just the care homes – which I was unaware the service covered]. How about pharmacies helping with that if we’re all being paid the same fee? NHS England could do much more to support practices in this regard.

  12. Anonymous says:

    And how many would have had the same flu jab at their GP’s

  13. Teresa Middleton says:

    I was wondering where I would find the summary Report of the flu vaccination Community Pharmacy Service deliverd in 2015/16?

  14. Anonymous says:

    Lets hope GP’s will be paid the same as the pharmacists this year!

  15. Jenny Kennedy says:

    Pharmacy need to be informing GP surgeries of patients vaccinated. Although this was done by most it was not done by all Chemists and led to poor communication and unnecassary work by GP trying to chase patients for their vaccine.
    Also home visist for housebound patinets would be a good service from the chemist.

  16. Trisha says:

    This is fantastic news. Patients need to have more access to services at their local Pharmacy and these pharmacies must be kept open to deliver the services. No to 6% cuts to community pharmacy. The NHS community pharmacists have shown time and time again it can do more and this needs to be harnessed. Consider the shingles in over 70 year olds and the pertussis in pregnancy.

  17. Sally Turner says:

    Flu Vaccinations. Will Boots the Chemists be paid by NHS England for flu vaccinations administered by their pharmacists on Boots’s premises?

  18. Chris Reid says:

    This policy of outsourcing the Flu Jab to the private sector should either be stopped or pay the GPs the same amount for the same service. This is a reduction in NHS service. The GP is the best person to issue the flu jab, The last two years the flu jab has been pretty ineffective. Can the GPs have a rebate, or will their be a better communication as to the number of shots the GP needs to order. This may help save money on unused vaccinations.

  19. Anonymous says:

    This made me feel ill and then didn’t work