The start date for the adult flu and Covid vaccination programmes – initially set for 1 September – has been delayed until October, NHS England has said.
The Enhanced Service specification for the seasonal flu programme published by NHS England last week had said the service would start on 1 September.
But late yesterday an NHS England spokesperson told Pulse’s sister title Management in Practice that both adult flu and Covid programmes were expected to start a month later.
The spokesperson said: ‘The adult flu and Covid vaccination programmes are expected to start in October. This is to maximise protection for patients right across the winter months when it is typically colder, and viruses are more likely to spread with people spending more time indoors.’
‘The NHS is working to ensure a growing number of vaccine sites across England offer both flu and Covid-19 vaccines in the same visit, to make it as convenient as possible for people to get life-saving protection from both viruses ahead of winter,’ they added.
Management in Practice is still trying to clarify whether practices will be paid should they start vaccinating before October.
Vaccinations for flu in school-aged children and for pre-schoolers will still start on the planned date.
In response to the news, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC England at the BMA, said: ‘I’ve today requested an urgent meeting with the minister responsible for vaccines to discuss NHS England’s potential delay of this year’s Covid and Flu vaccination programme.
‘Making this kind of change, and without any consultation with the profession, will have a direct knock-on effect for patients and wider public health. Practices plan at least six months in advance for the flu vaccination season, and many will have already got everything in place for this to work: clinics will have been arranged and appointments booked.
‘Pushing this back a month will cause serious disruption ahead of what will no doubt be another difficult winter.’
The BMA’s letter to Maria Caulfield MP also reiterates the need for NHS England to reconsider its recent decision to significantly reduce the fee that GPs are paid to deliver the Covid-19 vaccine, which the BMA believes also threatens the safety of patients and undervalues general practice.
Dr Brammal-Stainer said: ‘Making substantial cuts to the funding of the Covid-19 vaccine programme is an incredibly short-sighted decision by NHS England and will make it very difficult for practices to deliver the vaccine.
‘General practice must be properly resourced to protect patients. Not doing this risks increasing the likelihood of Covid hospitalisations and making an already overwhelming waiting list even longer.’
The delay also prompted criticism from the Institute of General Practice Management (IGPM).
In an open letter to Dr Kiren Collison, GP and Interim medical director for primary care at NHS England, the IGPM said that it was concerned about the ‘mixed messaging’ to practices and warnings that practice wouldn’t be paid for any jabs administered before October.
The letter said, in contrast to the enhanced service specification, practice managers had been told by their ICBs and local immunisation team that flu vaccines must not take place until ‘at least the beginning of October’ with the ‘stark warning that we will not get paid for any that we administer prior to this date’.
The IGPM said it was also worried about the potential impact on a practice by delaying administration to vulnerable populations.
‘We are concerned that if we receive our flu vaccines in September but withhold administration until October as per guidance and then have a patient become poorly with influenza, could we potentially be held as ‘morally negligent’ as we have failed to deliver something that we have in stock?’
Community Pharmacy England, the representative body for community pharmacy owners in England, has said a delayed start to the flu programme will cause ‘administrative chaos’.
‘Pharmacy owners have already ordered their vaccines and opened booking systems to include the provision of flu vaccines in September, based on the approach taken for the last seven years and supported by previous NHS messaging to the public to get vaccinated as soon as possible in the autumn,’ said the body.
To participate in this year’s flu campaign, practices must sign up by 31 August. For practices also participating in the Covid-19 enhanced service, the deadline is before 5pm on 29 August.
A version of this article was first published by Pulse’s sister title Management in Practice
Poor reporting from pulse
States “late yesterday an NHS England spokesperson told Pulse’s sister title Management in Practice that both adult flu and Covid programmes were expected to start a month later”
This is not confirmation as yet – expected is not a guarantee
GPC/ BMA are telling practices to keep planning as before – so Sept clinics – until told otherwise
There will be anarchy if this is delayed !
Pulse – please update the article. It is now superseded by my letter and the subsequent response from NHSE that they are “asking” us to defer starting Flu, but WILL pay for any jabs given in September.
Our guidance was published first, and in light of the letter from NHSE, it changes nothing.
1. Carry on Flu clinics in September.
2. You will get paid.
3. Think jolly carefully, do your maths, and heed our advice ahead of deciding whether to sign up to the Covid-19 programme or not.
KBS
This is going to hit the uptake rates for both and either vaccine !
Foot in mouth and too late already to prevent this.
Why can’t Government and NHSE think and consult properly and plan anything at all?
In light of the latest letter- it says we can proceed with those already booked in before the new start date- but can we still fill scheduled clinics that are not as yet full?
Will also reduce opportunistic vaccinations too- NHSE bad decision
Don’t understand why we are being asked to delay by a month. Something to do with a delayed effectiveness of the jabs so want patients protected during the winter months? Hmmm. Yet delaying will ensure we definitely won’t hit targets and less will be protected. We see spikes in illness throughout the year now too.
KBS has provided dueled update.