Pharmacies to give flu jab if deal agreed

THE GOVERNMENT expects to save money on the winter flu vaccination programme by transferring the administration of the jab from GPs to pharmacists.

Minister of State for Health Róisín Shortall wants pharmacists to deliver the vaccine to patients and expects the new system to be in place in the autumn. She is confident “we can get better value for money” with the transfer to pharmacists of this function.

Ms Shortall, who has special responsibility for primary care, said: “I’ve made it clear that I want to see pharmacists getting engaged more. I think pharmacists are very keen to do additional work. Pharmacists geared up very quickly last winter for the swine flu vaccine.”

Referring to plans for pharmacies to administer the winter flu vaccine, she said “that kind of switch makes a lot of sense”.

“It is a lot more convenient for the public and there would be much wider coverage of the flu vaccine.”

The Irish Pharmaceutical Union, which represents 1,600 community pharmacists, will today meet Minister for Health Dr James Reilly for the first time since his appointment and the flu vaccine will be discussed.

Union president Darragh OLoughlin confirmed that pharmacists were “very happy” to take on the flu vaccination programme.

He added that now was an “opportune time for a full renegotiation of the community pharmacy contract which is now 15 years old”, but said the flu vaccine programme should not be held up.

He believed they would have to start almost immediately on working out the vaccination scheme in order to have it in place for the autumn, but the renegotiation of the pharmacy contract should also be conducted in a timely fashion.

Ms Shortall, whose remit includes medicines and pharmacies, said GPs were currently paid €33 for every flu jab administered and the vaccine is free of charge to them. “We would expect to get much better value” with the transfer to pharmacists.

Mr O’Loughlin said he wasn’t in a position to put a price on the service but “we do appreciate the need for better value for money” and the funding difficulties facing the HSE.

The Minister acknowledged there were legal issues that had to be addressed because vaccines were considered a prescription-only medicine. However these difficulties would be overcome.

According to the union, primary legislation on medical products already exists which allows the Minister to introduce regulations and it could be done under this.

The pharmaceutical chain Boots offered the flu vaccine last year at a cost to a patient of €30 which included the administration of the injection and the cost of the vaccine itself.

Mr O’Loughlin said Boots employed a medical director who signed a directive taking medical responsibility for the vaccines and allowing pharmacists to administer them. This could not be done by community pharmacists because they did not employ a doctor.

He said there would have to be a “very robust regulatory framework” and the Minister could do that through statutory order under existing legislation.

The proposal to have pharmacists administer the flu vaccine is part of reforms which include a Government commitment to move more people from hospital to primary care. Ms Shortall said the Government wanted people to be able to avail of treatment “at the lowest level of complexity and as close to home as possible”.