Flu Programme – Message to GP Practices
Resource
Ahead of this year’s flu programme, I want to draw your attention to two key points to avoid any difficulties further down the line. Please can you make sure this information is shared within your practice with all those involved in vaccine ordering and arranging vaccination clinics.
- Vaccine orders. Thanks to the majority of practices who have let us know about your vaccine orders. There are still a very few practices that have not responded to our queries about vaccine orders. I want to remind practices of the strict reimbursement guidance in relation to vaccines, as set out in the flu letter and the enhanced service specification.
Practices must only use the recommended vaccines for each cohort as set out in the annual flu letter for 2024 to 2025 – 12 June 2024 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Practices must only purchase alternative second line vaccines if all attempts to secure recommended vaccines has failed.
- With the above in mind, as QIVe is not recommended at all for adults aged 65 and over and should only be give as a second option to children and adults in at risk groups as a fall-back option if the recommended vaccines are not available, we would not expect to have seen any QIVe ordering at this point. This includes practices that had ordered QIVr from Sanofi
- we will not be able to reimburse practices for QIVe vaccinations given as a first line offer.
- if you have only ordered QIVe, we strongly recommend you place orders for QIVc, aQIV and/or QIV-HD as relevant to the different cohorts as soon as possible. Manufacturers are still open for orders.
2. The enhanced service specification requires practices to administer vaccinations in the priority order announced by NHS England. In the primary care bulletin of 13 June (issue 294) and the flu letter, the start dates of the campaign are:
- 1 September for children and pregnant women.
- 3 October for all other cohorts i.e. adults and people in at risk groups.
The Enhanced Service Specification specifies that practices will not be eligible for payment if they vaccinate ‘outside the announced and authorised cohorts unless they are able to evidence exceptional clinical circumstances’. For this reason, please do not plan any flu clinics for the adult cohorts before 3 October or you will not be reimbursed for the activity or the vaccines given.
Next month, we will circulate our flu programme toolkit which will contain all the necessary information to assist you with planning the programme. In the meantime, if you have any queries about the programme, please contact us in the usual ways.
- For finance, payments and contract queries england.htvphcontracting@nhs.net
- For HIOW programme queries, incidents etc. England.hiow-sit@nhs.net
Kind regards
Nikki Osborne
Head of Public Health Commissioning
NHS England (South East Region – Hampshire and Thames Valley)
Public Health Commissioning
NHS England, Hampshire and Thames Valley
Email: england.htvphcontracting@nhs.net
Web: www.england.nhs.uk
