It is ‘shocking’ that free flu vaccinations are not being offered to all pharmacists in England and Wales, says RPS

摘要

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said it is “shocking” (https://www.rpharms.com/about-us/news/details/rps-calls-for-free-flu-jabs-for-pharmacists) that primary care pharmacists in England and Wales are not eligible for free flu vaccinations, and has called for an urgent review of the situation. Currently, pharmacists in England can be offered the vaccine by their employer but they are not an eligible patient group (https://psnc.org.uk/services-commissioning/advanced-services/flu-vaccination-service/flu-vaccination-faqs/) under the advanced flu vaccination service. Similarly, in Wales, guidance says that NHS organisations should offer the vaccine to all employees involved in direct patient care, but that independent primary care providers — including community pharmacies and GP surgeries -should only offer it to frontline staff “as part of their occupational health responsibilities (https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2021-08/the-national-influenza-immunisation-programme-2021-to-2022.pdf) ” .