Services Database Seasonal Influenza Vaccination 2015-16

The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Service is to increase uptake in the eligible adult population ensuring that all patients groups listed have choice of where and when to access ‘flu vaccination.

Patient eligible to receive the service are:

• people over 65 years
• adults aged 18 – 65 in a specified risk group
• pregnant women
• carers (with the exception of those formally employed as a carer – this is the responsibility of the employer)
• household contacts of the immunocompromised

Patients under 18 years of age are excluded from this service.

The vaccination will be administered when appropriate to eligible patients under a Patient Group Direction (PGD) provided by the commissioner.

The pharmacy contractor has a duty to ensure that the pharmacists/other staff involved in the provision of the service have the relevant knowledge and are appropriately trained in the operation of the service. The pharmacy contractor should ensure that participating pharmacists meet the competence requirements of the PGD in operation at the pharmacy and any professional codes of practice/conduct. 

Competency to provide the service should be demonstrated through the completion of the CPPE Declaration of Competence for flu vaccination process. Staff must be trained in the management of anaphylaxis in line with the Resuscitation Council Guidelines.