Chairmans Blog: The new flu vaccination service

Well, the flu vaccination service negotiations are finally over for another year - and the SLA/PGD will be available shortly. We had an agreement in principle a little while ago, hence the training events and on-line training, but the detail has only recently been agreed despite an early start.

For background, discussions on the service were held regionally this year; so in our case, we were in the same basket as Sunderland, North of  Tyne and Cumbria - dealing with the "new" CNTW area team.

I’m very happy to see that this year we are in the great position of offering the service to all “at risk” patient groups from the start of the season. The committee and I are, however, disappointed that the fee for providing the service is slightly less than previous years at £12.

The negotiations have been tough this year and although the LPC is pleased with an extended service, we are naturally disappointed at the level of the fee set this year. It suggests a lack of equity with other health professionals as their inoculation fee is higher for the same job. We are hopeful that a fair fee will be agreed next year. In the mean time, please inoculate as many “at risk” patients as you can, as hopefully the data we collect this year will enable us to argue a better result next time.”

 To facilitate paperwork (and payment) for contractors, and to help us collect reliable data, we are using the PharmOutcomes platform for recording.

The Flu negotiating team have put together an information email which can be found here. 
Please make sure you read and action it.

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