EXCLUSIVE

NHS England has pledged to take action against GPs deterring patients from receiving their flu jab in a pharmacy.

The commissioning body is aware of “some GP practices encouraging patients to continue to be vaccinated at their practice”, it told C+D yesterday (October 8). It will take action if it feels a practice is “unduly influencing patient choice”, it stressed.

NHS England said patients should be free to choose where they receive their vaccination, but it would not say if it will investigate the specific examples shown to it by C+D.

In one example raised by C+D, a Doncaster GP practice sent a text message urging patients to have their vaccination in the surgery.

“Going elsewhere puts NHS money into private companies. Please use us or risk losing vital services we currently provide,” Thorne Moor Medical Practice said in the message, seen by C+D.

Practice defends message

The practice’s business manager Fleur Firth told C+D that the text had been sent in response to patients booking a vaccination with the practice “and then cancelling because the chemist has done it there and then”.

Ms Firth claimed that the practice “completely welcomes” the national pharmacy flu service – which launched last month – and the text was designed to give patients an “informed choice” about where to receive their flu jab.

Rather than “mopping up” patients who would not attend a GP vaccination appointment, some pharmacists are vaccinating patients who would have benefited from other services the practice offers, Ms Firth added.

Contractor Amish Patel spoke about the "horror stories" he had heard of some practices attempting to dissuade patients from using the pharmacy flu service during C+D's webinar last week. Listen to the full debate here. 

Have you experienced GPs deterring patients from being vaccinated in a pharmacy?

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