The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7410 p94
22 July 2006

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Pharmacists could provide vaccinations if GPs opt out

Doctors choosing to opt out of administering childhood immunisations may open up an opportunity for pharmacists.

Jonathan Mason, head of prescribing and pharmacy at City and Hackney Primary Care Trust, told The Journal that some GPs within the PCT have decided not to provide the service under the new GMS contract. “We as a PCT have to find a way of vaccinating these children and pharmacists will be one of the routes we use,” he said. He believes that community pharmacists are ideally placed to administer vaccinations because of their accessibility and because appointments are not necessary.

City and Hackney PCT successfully used both community pharmacists and prescribing support pharmacists to improve uptake of influenza vaccinations during last year’s annual flu campaign (PJ, 17 September 2005, p328).