Services Database Seasonal Influenza Immunisation for Community Pharmacy 2014-15 (Across the Merseyside Area – 3 LPCs involved)

Please note this service is commissioned across Merseyside by the Merseyside Area Team. Therefore, the following LPCs have the same seasonal influenza vaccination service in their areas:

• Halton, St Helens & Knowsley LPC
• Liverpool LPC
• Sefton LPC

The service has only been added onto the Services Database under this entry to avoid duplication.

During the seasonal influenza vaccination campaign period, pharmacy staff will identify people who fall within the nationally agreed target groups who are under 65 years and over 18 years old. This includes pregnant women, who are priority for influenza vaccination and pharmacy staff will encourage them to be vaccinated, making that offer during the period from 22 September 2014 – 31 March 2015.

Eligible patients who do not have any contraindications to vaccination will be offered vaccination by a pharmacist. The vaccination will be administered under the authority of a Patient Group Direction (PGD), which will include the locally agreed eligibility criteria.

The pharmacy contractor will ensure that any pharmacist who is involved in administering a vaccine has successfully completed a training course that meets the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training (published by the Health Protection Agency).

Training must provide pharmacists with the skills necessary for administering intra-muscular injection, including:

• how to administer an intramuscular injection, including patient assessment, side effects and contraindications to influenza administration; and
• anaphylaxis – recognition and treatment.

Where a minimum of 50 vaccinations have been delivered in the last 12 months, full training is not required, but completion of a refresher training course is required which should include recent national changes to the immunisation programme/schedule.

The pharmacist must also have completed and passed a recognised Basic Life Support (BLS) training course in the past 12 months, or approved alternative update training (BLS training must be updated every 3 years);this can be face to face or via e-learning.

The pharmacy contractor should ensure that participating pharmacists meet the competence requirements of the PGD in operation at the pharmacy.

The pharmacy contractor must ensure that staff are made aware of the risk associated with the handling of clinical waste and the correct procedures are used to minimise those risks.