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NHSE urged to commission pharmacy vaccinations ... e vaccinations a year Community pharmacies could offer 10 million more vaccinations each year, the CCA estimated in a new report. This would build on the sector's success of delivering 42 million Covid vaccinations between December 2020 and August 2024. In particular, the CCA suggested that community pharmacies could help improve childhood vaccination rates in England. In 2023/24, no vaccines in England m ... Date: 27-11-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Boots to expand Covid vaccinations amid rising test sales Boots has announced plans to expand its private Covid-19 vaccination service amid a ‘spike’ in sales for test kits. According to the retailer, purchases of test kits almost tripled in June this year compared to the ... Date: 08-07-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacies told to plan for October start for autumn Covid jabs NHS England has told community pharmacies providing Covid vaccinations to plan for an ‘early October’ start to the autumn vaccination programme, in a letter published today. It said that it will agree a precise start date for both the flu and Covid jab campaigns ‘in ... Date: 30-05-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Flu vaccination programme moved to October to ‘maximise’ protection ... nal Flu Immunisation Programme, so providers have sufficient time to prepare.' Last year's flu vaccination season was expected to begin in September 2023, with Covid vaccinations set to begin in October. However, in August 2023 the start date of the flu vaccination programme was changed to October, before the start dates of both services were ultimately changed to September following the identification of a new ... Date: 12-03-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Community pharmacy delivers first private Covid jabs ... entially’ offering a private Covid vaccination service ‘this year’; while a spokesperson for Boots told The Pharmacist that the multiple 'would like to offer private Covid vaccinations' and was 'looking into how this might be possible'. Date: 08-03-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Quarter of all Covid vaccines administered in community pharmacies ... armacies using its Covid vaccination package had received more than 1,000 bookings. And some individual pharmacies had received more than 80 appointment bookings for Covid vaccinations, Pharmadoctor chief executive Graham Thoms told The Pharmacist. Other pharmacies, including multiples Boots and Superdrug, have also said that they are exploring making private Covid vaccinations available to people outside the NH ... Date: 15-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacies can offer private Pfizer Covid jabs from March ... ndependent pharmacies using its Covid vaccination package have received over 1,000 bookings so far. And some individual pharmacies have received over 80 appointment bookings for covid vaccinations, Pharmadoctor chief executive Graham Thoms told The Pharmacist. The Pharmadoctor PGD includes both the Comirnaty vaccine and an adapted Novavax vaccine that targets the Omicron XBB 1.5 subvariant, which was recently ... Date: 13-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
NHSE pilot to test new models of vaccination delivery ... dhood vaccinations. NPA director of corporate affairs, Gareth Jones, told The Pharmacist: ‘Pharmacies have proven themselves in relation to covid vaccinations, flu vaccinations and several other areas like hepatitis and travel health. ‘The pharmacy network is an obvious place to start increasing choice of provider for childhood vaccinations too. ‘We now have a proven track record in the public health spher ... Date: 12-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Covid-19 vaccine contract extensions to carry added spring payment ... ntract to be extended. This follows news that service provider Pharmadoctor is offering community pharmacies a patient group direction package that could see them delivering private Covid vaccinations ‘within weeks’. Boots and Superdrug are also looking into private provision of Covid vaccines. Date: 05-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacies to deliver first private Covid vaccinations Independent community pharmacies across the UK will begin offering private Covid vaccinations within weeks, the chief executive officer of services provider Pharmadoctor has told The Pharmacist. For pharmacies that sign up for Pharmadoctor’s a patient group direction (PGD) package from tod ... Date: 01-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacy First: Are the floodgates about to open? ... irst. With a busy winter period and flu and Covid vaccinations to administer, ‘nobody even looked at it until after Christmas,’ Beran says. The earliest date he could book a training session with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) for his team was for 4 February. ‘That's exactly three days after the service starts,’ he says. And he adds that pharmacists not used to patient consultatio ... Date: 24-01-2024 Categories: • Analysis • Community • News • Pharmacy First
DHSC ‘in talks’ over private sale of Covid vaccines ... ollow, ‘subject to manufacturer and provider decision’. Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that it had not placed any restriction on the private sale of Covid vaccinations, meaning manufacturers were free to agree deals with pharmacies to supply them. The NHSE vaccination strategy, published last week, noted that the private sale of Covid vaccines would be in line with other va ... Date: 18-12-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
RPS involved in talks on national vaccination strategy ... ination providers would not normally be able to do. But Mr Davies highlighted the challenges faced by community pharmacy vaccination providers during the rollout of the flu and covid vaccinations, which he said the RPS had raised concerns about. ‘I think it was incredibly difficult and confusing for everyone to understand how that was going to happen, how that was going to work and what everyone [needed] to d ... Date: 07-12-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Include community pharmacy in early vaccination planning, sector demands ... anged to October – although NHS England said that pharmacies would be paid for September flu jabs already booked – and then changed back to September along with an earlier start for Covid vaccinations. Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at CPE, which coordinated the letter to Mr Barclay, described the ‘shambolic start’ to the vaccination programme this year, which he said ‘caused unnecessary work and hass ... Date: 26-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
Nearly half of Covid vaccinations this year delivered by community pharmacists Community pharmacies have provided more than two million Covid vaccines in England so far in 2023 – representing almost half (46%) of all Covid vaccinations administered this year. The analysis by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), also show that to date, community pharmacies have provided almost a quarter (24%) of all Covid vaccinations in Englan ... Date: 24-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
More than one in 10 eligible given flu and Covid jabs amid ‘chaotic’ start ... harmacy teams are doing their best to deliver the service as they always do,’ she told The Pharmacist. The flu vaccination season was expected to begin in September this year, with Covid vaccinations set to begin in October. However, in August the start date of the flu vaccination programme was changed to October, before the start dates of both services were ultimately changed to September. Gareth Jones, head ... Date: 05-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections
Half a million people register organ donation status via NHS App ... healthcare.’ The new data also indicated that: More than 29.1 million repeat prescriptions were ordered through the app in the last year There have been more than 480,000 Covid vaccinations booked through the app since last November More than 13 million messages have been sent to NHS patients via the app from GP practices, hospitals and other services. More than 32.3 million users have signed up to ... Date: 29-09-2023 Categories: • News
Social impact of pain up a quarter in a decade ... n do more’. He also said that pain management was not currently a priority among the sector, with a current focus on nationally commissioned cardiovascular services and flu and covid vaccinations. Mukesh Kumar, global expert lead for over-the-counter (OTC) at Haleon acknowledged the ‘time pressure and the reality of a transactional pharmacy environment’. But he said that new resources created by the compan ... Date: 29-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Pain
Pharmacies ‘trapped in starting blocks’ as vaccination season begins ... as originally due to begin in September, but last month was changed to commence in October to coincide with Covid vaccinations. The NPA warned that the last-minute changes could lead to losses for pharmacy owners and told NHS England that contractors had a legal basis to seek compensation. Then, following concerns around a new Covid-19 variant, both vaccination programmes in England were brought forward to be ... Date: 12-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Flu service ‘shambles’ makes ‘no sense’ ahead of Pharmacy First ... cies had been planning for the usual September start date since last winter, in August this year NHSE said that the flu vaccination service would instead begin in October 2023, to coincide with Covid vaccinations. Following opposition from the sector, NHSE conceded that pharmacies could be paid for jabs given in September where patients had booked appointments. But last week it announced that both the flu and ... Date: 05-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory
Vax changes welcome but communication ‘chaos’ ... lowing concern about a new Covid variant. This comes after the flu service was originally expected to start in September, but was changed earlier this month to begin in October to align with Covid vaccinations. Following backlash, NHS England (NHSE) later conceded that pharmacies could be paid for jabs delivered in September where patients had already booked appointments. ‘Utter chaos’ Dr Leyla Hannbeck, c ... Date: 31-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory
CPE slams 'shambolic' vaccination U-turn despite additional funding Community pharmacies will get additional payments to deliver Covid vaccinations in September and October as the government brings forward the autumn programme in light of a new Covid variant. But the sector’s negotiator has criticised the government’s ‘shambolic start’ to the ... Date: 30-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory
Autumn jabs brought forward amid new Covid variant ... le.’ The eleventh-hour change comes after the start date of the flu autumn vaccination programme was previously changed from September to October to bring it in line with Covid vaccinations. Community pharmacy leaders called for the delay to be reversed, saying that the sector had already put plans in place for a September start. NHSE then allowed community pharmacies to claim payments for jabs given in Se ... Date: 30-08-2023 Categories: • News
UKHSA: No blanket restriction on private Covid vaccines The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that it has not placed any restriction on the private sale of Covid vaccinations, meaning that manufacturers could agree deals with pharmacies to supply them. Community pharmacy leaders have said that they would welcome the opportunity to provide private Covid vaccinations for ... Date: 21-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacies to be paid for September flu jabs already booked ... ble flu and Covid cohorts beginning from 7 October. And flu and Covid vaccination for all cohorts should be completed by 15 December 2023, the letter said. The fee for Covid vaccinations has been reduced by 25% this year, with community pharmacies being paid £7.54 for every Covid vaccination that they provide, with NHSE citing time saved by providing Covid and flu vaccinations at the same time as a justificat ... Date: 11-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
JCVI recommends autumn Covid booster for over-65s and clinically vulnerable ... ll no longer be able to get a first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from July if they do not meet JCVI-recommended eligibility. The spring booster campaign saw Covid vaccinations offered to those aged 75 and over, residents in care homes, and immunosuppressed patients aged five and over. Pharmacists may be able to provide Covid and flu vaccinations at the same time. The service fee for the flu vacci ... Date: 08-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
Covid vaccination fee reduced by 25% ... de the service, pharmacies must also be providing the flu vaccination advanced service from September 2023 to 31st March 2024, be able to offer at least 100 Covid vaccinations per week and be ‘in good standing’ from a regulatory perspective. If they do provide the service from their pharmacy premises, they must also vaccinate eligible housebound and care home patients if requested by NHSE. They may also provide ... Date: 04-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
WHO declares Covid-19 global health emergency over ... oviding ‘a friendly and reassuring presence’ during an ‘unbelievably harrowing period’. And they have delivered over 33 million covid vaccinations and are set to dispense Covid-19 antivirals. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said that community pharmacies played ‘a crucial role delivering accessible care to the public’ throughout the pandemic. She sa ... Date: 05-05-2023 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Pharmacies omitted from children’s polio jab campaign a ‘lost opportunity’ ... at were set up to vaccinate children, including community pharmacies and pharmacy-run sites,’ Mr Shah told The Pharmacist. ‘We were one of the first ones to do children’s Covid vaccinations, we had everything in place anyway, and we were doing loads of children’s vaccinations at that time. So, we got the contract and we were able to do a lot of polio vaccinations to start with.’ Last month, the UKHSA said rec ... Date: 13-04-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Paediatrics • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacy commissioning: Will ICBs be the sector’s friend or foe? ... s [and] the role of community pharmacy in the programme has continued to increase, with community pharmacy delivering over 60% of the Covid vaccinations in phase 5, and for the Spring 23 booster programme, community pharmacy will be the main provider for the vaccinations.’ But with room for improvement? Nonetheless, since it’s relatively early days, it’s not surprising that there are still some barriers that ... Date: 03-04-2023 Categories: • Analysis
More patient services will mean more pharmacy funding, suggests peer ... before they all close’. Lord Markham responded that ‘the plan of using them more for patients will put more funding their way, which I hope will support them, just as allocating Covid vaccinations to many pharmacies provided support.’ ‘Lord Markham appears to promise additional funding linked to services and this is absolutely critical, along with other help,’ commented Ms Morrison. ‘At the moment, more p ... Date: 13-01-2023 Categories: • News
Independent pharmacy group buys out GP partners to become sole owner of pharmacy ... f, with pharmacies in Leeds and NHS and private contracts to provide pharmaceutical support to care homes, hospices and a young offenders institute. They also partnered with Matalan to give 85,000 Covid vaccinations this year through a pop-up vaccination sites across 3 stores in Leeds, as well as 2 other vaccination clinics in across Leeds and York. They have now bought out the GP partners of The Priory Pharm ... Date: 21-11-2022 Categories: • Clinical Ambassadors • Vaccination
Covid antivirals could be supplied through community pharmacies ... legal basis for making certain medicines centrally stocked and supplied free of charge to community pharmacies, without the need to reimburse them under the standard NHS arrangements. It applies to Covid vaccinations, treatments and associated equipment such as vials where they have been provided free of charge to pharmacies – such as when they have been centrally procured, like the two treatments procured by the A ... Date: 14-11-2022 Categories: • News
Northern Ireland’s chief pharmaceutical officer visits Belfast pharmacy ... munity pharmacy services help promote public health, raise awareness of cancer, help people to quit smoking, manage patients with urinary tract infections, and have given over 400,000 covid vaccinations since March this year. MediCare’s managing director, Michael Guerin, said that it was a pleasure to welcome the Ms Harrison to the branch. ‘She is very engaged with the community pharmacy sector and it’s good ... Date: 07-11-2022 Categories: • News
Covid booster scheme extended to people with a severe mental illness ... be given to any reasonable adjustments to help patients feel at ease. It comes as the Government has announced a new marketing campaign to encourage people to come forward for flu and Covid vaccinations. More than two million autumn boosters were administered in the first fortnight of the autumn Covid vaccine booster campaign, according to NHS England, with that figure surpassing 10 million last week. NHS En ... Date: 31-10-2022 Categories: • News
Nearly a quarter of UK health workers hesitant about regular Covid vaccinations Nearly a quarter of UK healthcare workers are hesitant about having regular Covid-19 vaccinations, a study finds. Using data from the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and Covid-19 outcomes in Healthcare ... Date: 19-10-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacists ‘paying out of own pocket’ to deliver polio vaccine ... s no centralised NHS booking system. They are also working with around 100 volunteers to deliver both the polio and Covid vaccinations. ‘On the whole, I think people appreciate that we’re doing so much. Not many pharmacies are doing polio because it’s not really well funded,’ said Mr Khan. ‘Vaccinating a child can take up to half an hour, but the cost of delivering the vaccine is around £10. It’s not worth th ... Date: 28-09-2022 Categories: • News
NHS England denies issues with Covid booster supply ... ooster programme, such as by contracting vaccinators and transforming premises, amid increasing financial pressures on pharmacies and a reduced fee for providing the Covid vaccinations this year. ‘If they’re not getting the stock, what’s the point?’ she added. Covid boosters and flu jabs are being offered to those aged 50 and above this autumn, as well as care home residents and staff, frontline health and socia ... Date: 06-09-2022 Categories: • News
PSNC calls for government support with rising utility bills ... tient services, as well as trying to save energy where possible. She also said that it was frustrating to see funding for services such as Covid vaccinations being reduced from last year. ‘We feel like that everywhere you turn is you just get this response of “there is no more money, or funding for the contract” – and we’ve got another two years of it.’ In addition, she said that rising costs would stifle inn ... Date: 01-09-2022 Categories: • News
Pharmacists fear burnout amid ‘staff shortages and high locum rates’ ... y were receiving extra funding from the NHS, for example towards Covid vaccinations - but as those funds have diminished, operators have decided it is not sustainable to keep paying those rates. On the other hand, locums have felt the increased rates are fairer remuneration for the work they do, she added. Mark Hertzberg, manager at Essex-based agency Capital Locums, felt the situation was slightly shorter te ... Date: 04-08-2022 Categories: • News
Identify people eligible for vaccinations, pharmacists told ... ced that community pharmacies will be able to permanently run vaccination services from premises other than their registered premises. The measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and was due to end on 1 April 2022 before it was permane ... Date: 24-05-2022 Categories: • News
Spring Covid booster programme reaches three million ... s always been, and remains, our best defence against Covid.’ Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said 'excellent progress’ has been made on the latest rollout of Covid vaccinations, and that the ‘the wall of defence provided by vaccines is allowing us to live with this virus and get back to doing the things we’ve missed.’ People aged 75 and over, older adult care home residents and those wh ... Date: 09-05-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections
Community pharmacies to do ‘majority’ of Covid vaccinations in 5-11 age group ... weeks after any Covid infection. This comes as The Pharmacist reported that the majority of GPs believe they should not be the ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccinations. Date: 05-04-2022 Categories: • News
Over half of GPs do not think they should be ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccines A majority of GPs have said they do not think they should be the ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccinations, a new survey has revealed. The research – conducted by The Pharmacist’s sister publication Pulse – which surveyed 761 GPs in England, revealed that 53% believe GPs should not be the main provid ... Date: 15-03-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Large increase in unsafe staffing levels in pharmacies, PDA suggests ... macy staff faced ‘unfair’ and ‘abusive’ behaviour by customers who are unable to pick up testing kits. Some pharmacies proving Covid vaccinations were targeted by anti-vaccination groups, which included vandalism and threats of legal action. Date: 01-03-2022 Categories: • News
Legislation to allow pharmacists to vaccinate at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... plans to make permanent a temporary measure introduced at the height of the pandemic to maintain the pace and scale of the vaccine rollout. The measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and was due to end on 1 April 2022. There are n ... Date: 28-01-2022 Categories: • News
Pharmacy-led Covid sites may be asked to vaccinate 5-11s ... ry dose, should be offered a Covid booster jab. They should receive 30 micrograms of the Pfizer vaccine no sooner than three months after completing their primary course of Covid vaccinations, it said. According to the JCVI advice, eligible 5-11 year-olds should be offered two 10 micrograms doses of the Pfizer vaccine with an interval of 8 weeks between the first and second doses. The JCVI also advised tha ... Date: 06-01-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Be 'patient’ with pharmacy teams during Covid vaccination drive The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) president has asked the public to ‘be patient’ with pharmacy teams while they focus on Covid vaccinations over the coming weeks. Professor Claire Anderson’s comments come after the NHS England told pharmacy teams they can relinquish some pharmaceutical services to increase Covid-19 vaccine delivery. In ... Date: 17-12-2021 Categories: • News
Pharmacists could continue vaccinations at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... vaccination service for Covid-19 or flu under PGD, to permanently provide that service away from their normal registered premises. The temporary measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and is due to end on 1 April 2022. This flexibi ... Date: 09-12-2021 Categories: • News
Almost 300 additional pharmacies recruited to Covid vaccine programme ... cies have been recruited to deliver the Covid vaccine in the last month, NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) have said today (6 December). This means there are 1,300 more pharmacies offering Covid vaccinations compared to February, it also said. There are currently now nearly 3,000 vaccine sites in the country, according to NHSE&I, suggesting that around half of all sites are run by pharmacies ... Date: 06-12-2021 Categories: • News

NHSE urged to commission pharmacy vaccinations ... e vaccinations a year Community pharmacies could offer 10 million more vaccinations each year, the CCA estimated in a new report. This would build on the sector's success of delivering 42 million Covid vaccinations between December 2020 and August 2024. In particular, the CCA suggested that community pharmacies could help improve childhood vaccination rates in England. In 2023/24, no vaccines in England m ... Date: 27-11-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Boots to expand Covid vaccinations amid rising test sales Boots has announced plans to expand its private Covid-19 vaccination service amid a ‘spike’ in sales for test kits. According to the retailer, purchases of test kits almost tripled in June this year compared to the ... Date: 08-07-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacies told to plan for October start for autumn Covid jabs NHS England has told community pharmacies providing Covid vaccinations to plan for an ‘early October’ start to the autumn vaccination programme, in a letter published today. It said that it will agree a precise start date for both the flu and Covid jab campaigns ‘in ... Date: 30-05-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Flu vaccination programme moved to October to ‘maximise’ protection ... nal Flu Immunisation Programme, so providers have sufficient time to prepare.' Last year's flu vaccination season was expected to begin in September 2023, with Covid vaccinations set to begin in October. However, in August 2023 the start date of the flu vaccination programme was changed to October, before the start dates of both services were ultimately changed to September following the identification of a new ... Date: 12-03-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Community pharmacy delivers first private Covid jabs ... entially’ offering a private Covid vaccination service ‘this year’; while a spokesperson for Boots told The Pharmacist that the multiple 'would like to offer private Covid vaccinations' and was 'looking into how this might be possible'. Date: 08-03-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Quarter of all Covid vaccines administered in community pharmacies ... armacies using its Covid vaccination package had received more than 1,000 bookings. And some individual pharmacies had received more than 80 appointment bookings for Covid vaccinations, Pharmadoctor chief executive Graham Thoms told The Pharmacist. Other pharmacies, including multiples Boots and Superdrug, have also said that they are exploring making private Covid vaccinations available to people outside the NH ... Date: 15-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacies can offer private Pfizer Covid jabs from March ... ndependent pharmacies using its Covid vaccination package have received over 1,000 bookings so far. And some individual pharmacies have received over 80 appointment bookings for covid vaccinations, Pharmadoctor chief executive Graham Thoms told The Pharmacist. The Pharmadoctor PGD includes both the Comirnaty vaccine and an adapted Novavax vaccine that targets the Omicron XBB 1.5 subvariant, which was recently ... Date: 13-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

NHSE pilot to test new models of vaccination delivery ... dhood vaccinations. NPA director of corporate affairs, Gareth Jones, told The Pharmacist: ‘Pharmacies have proven themselves in relation to covid vaccinations, flu vaccinations and several other areas like hepatitis and travel health. ‘The pharmacy network is an obvious place to start increasing choice of provider for childhood vaccinations too. ‘We now have a proven track record in the public health spher ... Date: 12-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Covid-19 vaccine contract extensions to carry added spring payment ... ntract to be extended. This follows news that service provider Pharmadoctor is offering community pharmacies a patient group direction package that could see them delivering private Covid vaccinations ‘within weeks’. Boots and Superdrug are also looking into private provision of Covid vaccines. Date: 05-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacies to deliver first private Covid vaccinations Independent community pharmacies across the UK will begin offering private Covid vaccinations within weeks, the chief executive officer of services provider Pharmadoctor has told The Pharmacist. For pharmacies that sign up for Pharmadoctor’s a patient group direction (PGD) package from tod ... Date: 01-02-2024 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacy First: Are the floodgates about to open? ... irst. With a busy winter period and flu and Covid vaccinations to administer, ‘nobody even looked at it until after Christmas,’ Beran says. The earliest date he could book a training session with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) for his team was for 4 February. ‘That's exactly three days after the service starts,’ he says. And he adds that pharmacists not used to patient consultatio ... Date: 24-01-2024 Categories: • Analysis • Community • News • Pharmacy First

DHSC ‘in talks’ over private sale of Covid vaccines ... ollow, ‘subject to manufacturer and provider decision’. Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that it had not placed any restriction on the private sale of Covid vaccinations, meaning manufacturers were free to agree deals with pharmacies to supply them. The NHSE vaccination strategy, published last week, noted that the private sale of Covid vaccines would be in line with other va ... Date: 18-12-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

RPS involved in talks on national vaccination strategy ... ination providers would not normally be able to do. But Mr Davies highlighted the challenges faced by community pharmacy vaccination providers during the rollout of the flu and covid vaccinations, which he said the RPS had raised concerns about. ‘I think it was incredibly difficult and confusing for everyone to understand how that was going to happen, how that was going to work and what everyone [needed] to d ... Date: 07-12-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Include community pharmacy in early vaccination planning, sector demands ... anged to October – although NHS England said that pharmacies would be paid for September flu jabs already booked – and then changed back to September along with an earlier start for Covid vaccinations. Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at CPE, which coordinated the letter to Mr Barclay, described the ‘shambolic start’ to the vaccination programme this year, which he said ‘caused unnecessary work and hass ... Date: 26-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

Nearly half of Covid vaccinations this year delivered by community pharmacists Community pharmacies have provided more than two million Covid vaccines in England so far in 2023 – representing almost half (46%) of all Covid vaccinations administered this year. The analysis by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), also show that to date, community pharmacies have provided almost a quarter (24%) of all Covid vaccinations in Englan ... Date: 24-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

More than one in 10 eligible given flu and Covid jabs amid ‘chaotic’ start ... harmacy teams are doing their best to deliver the service as they always do,’ she told The Pharmacist. The flu vaccination season was expected to begin in September this year, with Covid vaccinations set to begin in October. However, in August the start date of the flu vaccination programme was changed to October, before the start dates of both services were ultimately changed to September. Gareth Jones, head ... Date: 05-10-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Vaccinations and infections

Half a million people register organ donation status via NHS App ... healthcare.’ The new data also indicated that: More than 29.1 million repeat prescriptions were ordered through the app in the last year There have been more than 480,000 Covid vaccinations booked through the app since last November More than 13 million messages have been sent to NHS patients via the app from GP practices, hospitals and other services. More than 32.3 million users have signed up to ... Date: 29-09-2023 Categories: • News

Social impact of pain up a quarter in a decade ... n do more’. He also said that pain management was not currently a priority among the sector, with a current focus on nationally commissioned cardiovascular services and flu and covid vaccinations. Mukesh Kumar, global expert lead for over-the-counter (OTC) at Haleon acknowledged the ‘time pressure and the reality of a transactional pharmacy environment’. But he said that new resources created by the compan ... Date: 29-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Pain

Pharmacies ‘trapped in starting blocks’ as vaccination season begins ... as originally due to begin in September, but last month was changed to commence in October to coincide with Covid vaccinations. The NPA warned that the last-minute changes could lead to losses for pharmacy owners and told NHS England that contractors had a legal basis to seek compensation. Then, following concerns around a new Covid-19 variant, both vaccination programmes in England were brought forward to be ... Date: 12-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • Community • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Flu service ‘shambles’ makes ‘no sense’ ahead of Pharmacy First ... cies had been planning for the usual September start date since last winter, in August this year NHSE said that the flu vaccination service would instead begin in October 2023, to coincide with Covid vaccinations. Following opposition from the sector, NHSE conceded that pharmacies could be paid for jabs given in September where patients had booked appointments. But last week it announced that both the flu and ... Date: 05-09-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory

Vax changes welcome but communication ‘chaos’ ... lowing concern about a new Covid variant. This comes after the flu service was originally expected to start in September, but was changed earlier this month to begin in October to align with Covid vaccinations. Following backlash, NHS England (NHSE) later conceded that pharmacies could be paid for jabs delivered in September where patients had already booked appointments. ‘Utter chaos’ Dr Leyla Hannbeck, c ... Date: 31-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory

CPE slams 'shambolic' vaccination U-turn despite additional funding Community pharmacies will get additional payments to deliver Covid vaccinations in September and October as the government brings forward the autumn programme in light of a new Covid variant. But the sector’s negotiator has criticised the government’s ‘shambolic start’ to the ... Date: 30-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory

Autumn jabs brought forward amid new Covid variant ... le.’ The eleventh-hour change comes after the start date of the flu autumn vaccination programme was previously changed from September to October to bring it in line with Covid vaccinations. Community pharmacy leaders called for the delay to be reversed, saying that the sector had already put plans in place for a September start. NHSE then allowed community pharmacies to claim payments for jabs given in Se ... Date: 30-08-2023 Categories: • News

UKHSA: No blanket restriction on private Covid vaccines The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that it has not placed any restriction on the private sale of Covid vaccinations, meaning that manufacturers could agree deals with pharmacies to supply them. Community pharmacy leaders have said that they would welcome the opportunity to provide private Covid vaccinations for ... Date: 21-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacies to be paid for September flu jabs already booked ... ble flu and Covid cohorts beginning from 7 October. And flu and Covid vaccination for all cohorts should be completed by 15 December 2023, the letter said. The fee for Covid vaccinations has been reduced by 25% this year, with community pharmacies being paid £7.54 for every Covid vaccination that they provide, with NHSE citing time saved by providing Covid and flu vaccinations at the same time as a justificat ... Date: 11-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

JCVI recommends autumn Covid booster for over-65s and clinically vulnerable ... ll no longer be able to get a first or second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from July if they do not meet JCVI-recommended eligibility. The spring booster campaign saw Covid vaccinations offered to those aged 75 and over, residents in care homes, and immunosuppressed patients aged five and over. Pharmacists may be able to provide Covid and flu vaccinations at the same time. The service fee for the flu vacci ... Date: 08-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

Covid vaccination fee reduced by 25% ... de the service, pharmacies must also be providing the flu vaccination advanced service from September 2023 to 31st March 2024, be able to offer at least 100 Covid vaccinations per week and be ‘in good standing’ from a regulatory perspective. If they do provide the service from their pharmacy premises, they must also vaccinate eligible housebound and care home patients if requested by NHSE. They may also provide ... Date: 04-08-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

WHO declares Covid-19 global health emergency over ... oviding ‘a friendly and reassuring presence’ during an ‘unbelievably harrowing period’. And they have delivered over 33 million covid vaccinations and are set to dispense Covid-19 antivirals. Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said that community pharmacies played ‘a crucial role delivering accessible care to the public’ throughout the pandemic. She sa ... Date: 05-05-2023 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Pharmacies omitted from children’s polio jab campaign a ‘lost opportunity’ ... at were set up to vaccinate children, including community pharmacies and pharmacy-run sites,’ Mr Shah told The Pharmacist. ‘We were one of the first ones to do children’s Covid vaccinations, we had everything in place anyway, and we were doing loads of children’s vaccinations at that time. So, we got the contract and we were able to do a lot of polio vaccinations to start with.’ Last month, the UKHSA said rec ... Date: 13-04-2023 Categories: • Clinical • News • Paediatrics • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacy commissioning: Will ICBs be the sector’s friend or foe? ... s [and] the role of community pharmacy in the programme has continued to increase, with community pharmacy delivering over 60% of the Covid vaccinations in phase 5, and for the Spring 23 booster programme, community pharmacy will be the main provider for the vaccinations.’ But with room for improvement? Nonetheless, since it’s relatively early days, it’s not surprising that there are still some barriers that ... Date: 03-04-2023 Categories: • Analysis

More patient services will mean more pharmacy funding, suggests peer ... before they all close’. Lord Markham responded that ‘the plan of using them more for patients will put more funding their way, which I hope will support them, just as allocating Covid vaccinations to many pharmacies provided support.’ ‘Lord Markham appears to promise additional funding linked to services and this is absolutely critical, along with other help,’ commented Ms Morrison. ‘At the moment, more p ... Date: 13-01-2023 Categories: • News

Independent pharmacy group buys out GP partners to become sole owner of pharmacy ... f, with pharmacies in Leeds and NHS and private contracts to provide pharmaceutical support to care homes, hospices and a young offenders institute. They also partnered with Matalan to give 85,000 Covid vaccinations this year through a pop-up vaccination sites across 3 stores in Leeds, as well as 2 other vaccination clinics in across Leeds and York. They have now bought out the GP partners of The Priory Pharm ... Date: 21-11-2022 Categories: • Clinical Ambassadors • Vaccination

Covid antivirals could be supplied through community pharmacies ... legal basis for making certain medicines centrally stocked and supplied free of charge to community pharmacies, without the need to reimburse them under the standard NHS arrangements. It applies to Covid vaccinations, treatments and associated equipment such as vials where they have been provided free of charge to pharmacies – such as when they have been centrally procured, like the two treatments procured by the A ... Date: 14-11-2022 Categories: • News

Northern Ireland’s chief pharmaceutical officer visits Belfast pharmacy ... munity pharmacy services help promote public health, raise awareness of cancer, help people to quit smoking, manage patients with urinary tract infections, and have given over 400,000 covid vaccinations since March this year. MediCare’s managing director, Michael Guerin, said that it was a pleasure to welcome the Ms Harrison to the branch. ‘She is very engaged with the community pharmacy sector and it’s good ... Date: 07-11-2022 Categories: • News

Covid booster scheme extended to people with a severe mental illness ... be given to any reasonable adjustments to help patients feel at ease. It comes as the Government has announced a new marketing campaign to encourage people to come forward for flu and Covid vaccinations. More than two million autumn boosters were administered in the first fortnight of the autumn Covid vaccine booster campaign, according to NHS England, with that figure surpassing 10 million last week. NHS En ... Date: 31-10-2022 Categories: • News

Nearly a quarter of UK health workers hesitant about regular Covid vaccinations Nearly a quarter of UK healthcare workers are hesitant about having regular Covid-19 vaccinations, a study finds. Using data from the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and Covid-19 outcomes in Healthcare ... Date: 19-10-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacists ‘paying out of own pocket’ to deliver polio vaccine ... s no centralised NHS booking system. They are also working with around 100 volunteers to deliver both the polio and Covid vaccinations. ‘On the whole, I think people appreciate that we’re doing so much. Not many pharmacies are doing polio because it’s not really well funded,’ said Mr Khan. ‘Vaccinating a child can take up to half an hour, but the cost of delivering the vaccine is around £10. It’s not worth th ... Date: 28-09-2022 Categories: • News

NHS England denies issues with Covid booster supply ... ooster programme, such as by contracting vaccinators and transforming premises, amid increasing financial pressures on pharmacies and a reduced fee for providing the Covid vaccinations this year. ‘If they’re not getting the stock, what’s the point?’ she added. Covid boosters and flu jabs are being offered to those aged 50 and above this autumn, as well as care home residents and staff, frontline health and socia ... Date: 06-09-2022 Categories: • News

PSNC calls for government support with rising utility bills ... tient services, as well as trying to save energy where possible. She also said that it was frustrating to see funding for services such as Covid vaccinations being reduced from last year. ‘We feel like that everywhere you turn is you just get this response of “there is no more money, or funding for the contract” – and we’ve got another two years of it.’ In addition, she said that rising costs would stifle inn ... Date: 01-09-2022 Categories: • News

Pharmacists fear burnout amid ‘staff shortages and high locum rates’ ... y were receiving extra funding from the NHS, for example towards Covid vaccinations - but as those funds have diminished, operators have decided it is not sustainable to keep paying those rates. On the other hand, locums have felt the increased rates are fairer remuneration for the work they do, she added. Mark Hertzberg, manager at Essex-based agency Capital Locums, felt the situation was slightly shorter te ... Date: 04-08-2022 Categories: • News

Identify people eligible for vaccinations, pharmacists told ... ced that community pharmacies will be able to permanently run vaccination services from premises other than their registered premises. The measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and was due to end on 1 April 2022 before it was permane ... Date: 24-05-2022 Categories: • News

Spring Covid booster programme reaches three million ... s always been, and remains, our best defence against Covid.’ Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said 'excellent progress’ has been made on the latest rollout of Covid vaccinations, and that the ‘the wall of defence provided by vaccines is allowing us to live with this virus and get back to doing the things we’ve missed.’ People aged 75 and over, older adult care home residents and those wh ... Date: 09-05-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Community pharmacies to do ‘majority’ of Covid vaccinations in 5-11 age group ... weeks after any Covid infection. This comes as The Pharmacist reported that the majority of GPs believe they should not be the ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccinations. Date: 05-04-2022 Categories: • News

Over half of GPs do not think they should be ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccines A majority of GPs have said they do not think they should be the ‘main providers’ of Covid vaccinations, a new survey has revealed. The research – conducted by The Pharmacist’s sister publication Pulse – which surveyed 761 GPs in England, revealed that 53% believe GPs should not be the main provid ... Date: 15-03-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Large increase in unsafe staffing levels in pharmacies, PDA suggests ... macy staff faced ‘unfair’ and ‘abusive’ behaviour by customers who are unable to pick up testing kits. Some pharmacies proving Covid vaccinations were targeted by anti-vaccination groups, which included vandalism and threats of legal action. Date: 01-03-2022 Categories: • News

Legislation to allow pharmacists to vaccinate at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... plans to make permanent a temporary measure introduced at the height of the pandemic to maintain the pace and scale of the vaccine rollout. The measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and was due to end on 1 April 2022. There are n ... Date: 28-01-2022 Categories: • News

Pharmacy-led Covid sites may be asked to vaccinate 5-11s ... ry dose, should be offered a Covid booster jab. They should receive 30 micrograms of the Pfizer vaccine no sooner than three months after completing their primary course of Covid vaccinations, it said. According to the JCVI advice, eligible 5-11 year-olds should be offered two 10 micrograms doses of the Pfizer vaccine with an interval of 8 weeks between the first and second doses. The JCVI also advised tha ... Date: 06-01-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Be 'patient’ with pharmacy teams during Covid vaccination drive The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) president has asked the public to ‘be patient’ with pharmacy teams while they focus on Covid vaccinations over the coming weeks. Professor Claire Anderson’s comments come after the NHS England told pharmacy teams they can relinquish some pharmaceutical services to increase Covid-19 vaccine delivery. In ... Date: 17-12-2021 Categories: • News

Pharmacists could continue vaccinations at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... vaccination service for Covid-19 or flu under PGD, to permanently provide that service away from their normal registered premises. The temporary measure — which has allowed pharmacies to provide Covid vaccinations in off-site locations such as in car parks, sports stadiums, town halls and marquees — was put in place by NHS England and Improvement in August 2020, and is due to end on 1 April 2022. This flexibi ... Date: 09-12-2021 Categories: • News

Almost 300 additional pharmacies recruited to Covid vaccine programme ... cies have been recruited to deliver the Covid vaccine in the last month, NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) have said today (6 December). This means there are 1,300 more pharmacies offering Covid vaccinations compared to February, it also said. There are currently now nearly 3,000 vaccine sites in the country, according to NHSE&I, suggesting that around half of all sites are run by pharmacies ... Date: 06-12-2021 Categories: • News

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