Pharmacies could be owed millions in “wasted costs” following the chaos around changes to Covid jab eligibility last year, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has claimed.
It said “at least half” of the average pharmacy’s Covid vaccine bookings at the end of last year were made by ineligible patients who booked amid confusion around the increased age of eligibility for NHS Covid jabs.
And it estimated that pharmacies “could be owed at least £2 million a day” in the “wasted costs” that resulted from the ineligible bookings.
Read more: Pharmacy compensation for Covid jab chaos ‘not available’, NHSE says
The body told C+D these costs included wasted vaccine stock, paying vaccinators who ended up not vaccinating patients, and diverting staffing resources to “manage issues with angry patients”.
And it announced that it is “calling on the NHS” to compensate pharmacies for the money they had lost - despite CPE asking NHSE for the same last year and being told that “further funding was not available”.
Read more: CPE seeks ‘compensation’ for pharmacies over COVID jab chaos
The NPA also revealed that nine in 10 pharmacies surveyed by them “experienced verbal or physical intimidation” from patients who were ineligible for Covid jabs - and that some reported “being spat at or pushed”.
It added that pharmacies had reported a “lack of communication from NHSE to individual pharmacies to explain” the eligibility issue and the “rationale for changing longstanding criteria for the vaccinations”.
“Should have been avoided”
NPA chief executive Henry Gregg said the issue “was a problem of the NHS’s own making” and one “that should have been avoided”.
“Our data shows this has come at a significant personal and financial cost to community pharmacies across the country,” he added, noting that other consequences such as “the loss of reputation and the impact of abuse” cannot be quantified.
Read more: Pharmacies face COVID jab chaos after ‘reckless’ rule change
“The NHS must learn the lessons from this issue for future years,” Gregg said.
“This includes doing the right thing and compensating pharmacies for losses made during this process.”
Read more: IPA ‘madness’ over Covid jab availability restrictions
It comes after pharmacy teams last autumn reported “major issues” to CPE about “large numbers” of ineligible patients booking and presenting for NHS Covid vaccinations.
CPE said at the time that the government’s decision to change the eligible age for the jab from 65-plus to “75 years and over” was “creating confusion among members of the public”.
The negotiator later announced that it had “written formally” to NHSE seeking compensation for pharmacies - but confirmed last month that NHSE had said “no further funding was available” to compensate contractors.
