Bigger role for pharmacists in seasonal flu vaccination scheme?
Community pharmacists in England could be set to play a bigger role in delivering the seasonal influenza programme following an independent
review of the programme commissioned by the Department of Health.
The review, published last week, examines the supply and distribution
of flu vaccine following reports of alleged delays and shortages during
October and November 2005.
It recommends that the DoH examine the potential role of community pharmacy
to determine whether flexibilities in the new contract would: promote
the programme by signposting patients to GPs; enable the targeting of
at-risk and hard-to-reach groups; increase the primary care capacity
for delivering immunisation; and increase patient choice and accessibility.
The report says that the reform of primary care, including the new contractual
framework for community pharmacy and the expansion of pharmacist and
nurse prescribing, provides opportunities for new ways of working. “The
seasonal influenza supply system should work to reflect these fundamental
shifts and the programme should take advantage of the new flexibilities
to help manage the capacity of a GP-based supply system to respond to
increasing population coverage,” it says.
However, the report warns that introducing alternative providers may
increase the complexity of calculating flu vaccine requirements. It may
also require new incentive and reward systems to encourage collaborative
working, it says.
Jonathan Mason, flu co-ordinator and head of prescribing and pharmacy
at City and Hackney Primary Care Trust, believes that pharmacists are
ideally placed to assist in improving flu vaccine uptake. He told The
Journal that neither calculating vaccine requirements nor remuneration
has been a problem within City and Hackney PCT, where community pharmacists
have been administering flu vaccinations for the past two years.
The review also recommends that the DoH consider an alternative model
for the procurement of vaccines, which includes central negotiation of
the cost of vaccine between the DoH and vaccine manufacturers. Other
recommendations include improving uptake among health workers and further
developing the role of flu co-ordinators.
Commenting on the review, David Salisbury, director of immunisation at
the DoH, said: “We accept in principle the recommendations to strengthen
the programme, while recognising that some details may need to be considered
more fully.”
Uptake Figures released last week show that, during the 2006–07
seasonal flu vaccination programme in England, 74 per cent of those 65
years and over
(6.2 million) were vaccinated by the end of January. In addition, 42 per cent
of those under 65 years and in
at-risk groups were vaccinated. |
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