Green light for the national flu service

Pharmacy contractors that fully meet the requirements for provision of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service can now start to provide the service. This follows the amendment of the Secretary of State Directions and the publication of the national Patient Group Direction on the NHS England website.

Links to the Secretary of State Directions, which provide the legal basis for provision of the service, and the national Patient Group Direction (PGD) are available from the flu vaccination section of the website.

Once contractors are fully ready to provide the service, they must notify NHS England of their intention to begin providing the service by completing a notification form on the NHS BSA website (a link to the form is available on flu vaccination section of the website).

Contractors should read PSNC Briefing 053/15: Guidance on the Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Advanced Service which provides detailed advice on what they need to have in place before providing the service.

Commenting on the publication of the documents, Alastair Buxton, Director of NHS Services at PSNC, said:

“The completion of the regulatory changes means community pharmacy teams can now start offering the NHS flu vaccination service to eligible patients.

I hope that pharmacy teams will really get behind this important service to show patients and the NHS just what community pharmacy is capable of.”