Services Database Seasonal Influenza Vaccination 2014-15

The purpose of the Community Pharmacy Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Service is to increase uptake in the ‘at-risk’ patient group while ensuring that all patients groups listed have choice of where 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

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

The pharmacy contractor must demonstrate that all staff involved in providing this service have relevant knowledge and are appropriately trained in the operation of the service. This should include, background to immunology and vaccination, injection technique, anaphylaxis and basic life support training (including administration of adrenaline in emergency circumstances) and legislative framework in relation to PGD. Competency should be maintained by on-going service delivery and continuing professional development (i.e. 50+ vaccinations and yearly updating of skills). If competency has not been maintained staff should be retrained as above.

The pharmacy contractor should ensure that participating pharmacists meet the competence requirements of the PGD in operation at the pharmacy, maintain staff competency, have a named superintendent pharmacist to have overall responsibility for the service and identify staff time to deliver the service.