Pharmacy contractors in England will be able to offer a free flu jab to their frontline staff, including locums, “who elect to receive their vaccination from the community pharmacy” between September 1 and March 31 next year, NHSE&I wrote in a letter to contractors yesterday (September 29).

“For this year only”, the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Advanced Service specification has been updated to reflect this change, NHSE&I added.

Contractors can also offer a free shot of flu vaccine to contractors and their patient-facing staff in primary medical services, primary dental services, or general ophthalmic services.

“Primary care contractors are expected to support the vaccination of frontline staff through occupational health services already in place or encourage their staff to visit a general practice or community pharmacy to be vaccinated,” NHSE&I wrote in the letter.

 

PGD and national protocol to be updated

 

NHSE&I said that the patient group direction (PGD) and national protocol will be updated to include the new cohort of eligible patients.

Contractors will not be able to offer a flu jab to frontline primary care teams until the updated PGD and national protocols are released, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) said in a statement last night.

Pharmacy contractors who offer the flu vaccination service to eligible primary care staff will be able to claim the service fee for providing this service from September 1.

C+D previously reported that, for the first time, pharmacy staff – including dispensers – will be able to prepare and administer flu jabs under the 2021/22 service’s national protocol.

 

PSNC: Retain this measure in the future

 

PSNC said it has repeated its request for pharmacy staff to be included as an eligible cohort under the flu vaccination service “over several years”.

“Following these requests, earlier this year NHSE&I successfully sought additional funding, with an agreement on a change to the service being reached with PSNC last month,” the negotiator said in a statement.

PSNC director of NHS services Alastair Buxton said the organisation “will continue to push for this to happen on an ongoing basis”.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) chair of the English pharmacy board, Thorrun Govind, also welcomed NHSE&I’s decision – which follows the professional body’s calls earlier this month for all pharmacy teams to get access to free flu jabs.

“This is a victory for common sense,” Ms Govind said. “We are delighted the NHS in England has listened and given parity of access to flu vaccination to frontline pharmacy teams, who have played such a vital role in providing healthcare and COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.

“We’re also very pleased that locum staff are included in this move. No pharmacist or member of their team should be considered dispensable and left out of this important public health initiative.”

C+D reported last week that community pharmacy teams, including locums, had already been told they were eligible for a free flu vaccination in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Meanwhile, a Welsh government spokesperson told C+D that unless community pharmacists, pharmacy staff and locums fall into the eligibility categories – those clinically at-risk or over the age of 50 – they will not be offered a free flu vaccination.