The National Pharmacy Association’s (NPA) chief executive Henry Gregg has said it “makes sense” to use pharmacies for catch-up vaccinations as the NHS pushes for more children to be protected against measles.
A new campaign by NHS England (NHSE) yesterday called for parents to have their children vaccinated with the new “four-in-one” MMR/V jab, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (chickenpox).
Children aged between one and 11 years who have missed one or both doses of the vaccine will be invited to receive it as part of the campaign, which runs until next March.
Read more: Reform childhood vaccination or risk more outbreaks, warns NPA
NHSE cited official figures showing a vaccine coverage gap of 7.5% between country’s the least and the most deprived areas.
GPs are the core providers of the catch-up campaign, but an NHS representative told C+D that local commissioners may decide to call upon pharmacies and other outreach services to help administer the rollout.
“Alarming drops”
And the NPA’s Gregg today warned that the country is seeing “some alarming drops in vaccination take-up”.
He told C+D there is “significant evidence” suggesting that pharmacies “are well placed to deliver vaccination programmes” and drive uptake “in deprived communities and other places where people have historically been vaccinated in lower numbers”.
Read more: Pharmacies signposting to measles vaccination amid outbreak
“We must join forces to work together to tackle this or risk the emergence of more outbreaks of preventable illness,” he added.
“It makes sense to use pharmacies in more catch-up vaccinations, as well as support programmes for school-age children.”
Read more: Expanded pharmacy children’s flu vac service launching this year
It comes after plans for an expanded community pharmacy flu vaccination programme for children were announced last month.
And it follows the NPA warning in May that there will be more “outbreaks of preventable diseases” in the UK without reforms to “outdated” vaccination programmes for school-age children.