The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7218 p470
5 October 2002

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Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust (www.gpct.org.uk)

Pharmacists in Aberdeen to immunise patients against influenza under PGD

Aberdonians who are officially classified as at risk of catching influenza will be able to be vaccinated against the disease this year at Michie's Pharmacy in Union Street.

Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust is offering vaccination at the pharmacy to people aged between 16 and 64 years who have chronic heart or chest diseases, including asthma, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or lowered immunity due to illness or steroid or cancer treatment. The trust's aim is to provide a convenient alternative for people who are unable easily to get the vaccination from a general practitioner.

A local survey has shown that community pharmacies would be welcomed by many people as convenient places to be immunised.

Rhona Woodhead, locum pharmacist at Michie's Pharmacy, said that vaccination would be available on both an appointment and a walk-in basis from 1pm to 3pm on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 10am to noon on Saturdays for four weeks starting from 9 October.

Miss Woodhead and the proprietor Charles Michie have been trained to administer the vaccine under a patient group direction. They will be supervised by a nurse on the first 10 occasions, after which they will be allowed to carry out vaccinations unsupervised. In the unlikely case of any patients suffering an anaphylactic reaction, both have also been trained to deal with this under a patient group direction authorising the use of adrenaline EpiPens.

The pharmacy will be providing the vaccine and the EpiPens, while Grampian PCT will provide cotton wool balls, swabs, sharps bins, etc. A duplicate form, which includes a patient consent declaration, will be completed for each patient; one copy will be sent to the patient's GP and the other to the PCT for payment. Payment to the pharmacy will be based on the cost of the vaccine used plus an amount for professional services.

Miss Woodhead explained that the service will require the presence of a second pharmacist, because someone has to be available to give vaccinations without being distracted by dispensing demands.

"It is an extension of the pharmacist's role," she said. "We will be able to get away from counting pills to administer medicines."

The scheme is being run as a pilot alongside this year's national 'flu immunisation campaign. Pharmacy-based vaccination might be extended to more people next year if the scheme is found to have worked well.