Amanda Bell, Numark’s service development manager, shares advice on how to set up a flu vaccination service

The flu season is the perfect time to demonstrate why services should be commissioned through independent pharmacy. It makes sense that increasing accessibility of the flu jab will encourage more people to be vaccinated, so independent pharmacies are in a great position to give patients access to this service, at a time and location convenient to them.

Flu vaccination has shown a good return on investment for many contractors. NHS England, for example, has commissioned flu vaccinations from London pharmacies and paid pharmacists £15.00 for each vaccination. If you utilise your whole team in the process you will be able to focus your clinical skills and expertise on providing the service.

It is important to identify the key people who are responsible for promoting your interests in this and other commissioned services. If the service is not being commissioned locally, speak to your LPC or local area team, or equivalent bodies, about getting it commissioned.

In order to reinforce your argument, you should be ready to explain the value you add to patients and the wider NHS by offering the service, give details of the training you have undertaken, the facilities you have to deliver the vaccinations, and the processes you have in place to provide and review your service.

Step by step

Steps to setting up a successful service include:

• Identify your area team and key contacts and work with them to identify the key services being commissioned locally
• If a flu vaccination service is being commissioned in your area, consider your target patients • Read the service level agreement (SLA) or contract between the NHS and local pharmacies and ask to see the PGD
• Ensure that you choose a recognised provider of training for NHS commissioned services and familiarise yourself with the training requirements in your area
• If you have not been provided with a data capture facility, ensure that you have a system in place to track details and provide information to your area team – this evidence will support the re- commissioning of this and future services
• Demonstrate to local GP practices how you can support them to deliver their targets and identify the best way to work collaboratively. Numark members have found that this approach has been the key to the success of their service provision, and that, when practices are involved early on, they have referred patients to their pharmacy.

Once you have established your service, you can also offer it privately to patients who may value the convenience of being vaccinated within a pharmacy. This is a massive opportunity to maximise your profitability

Next steps

• Ensure that you have the correct facilities to provide the service, eg, an adequate consultation room and suitable refrigerator
• Create your pharmacy flu plan, setting out actions, roles and responsibilities, and timelines, eg, vaccination start date
• Book your training – Numark offers a very competitive training package • Order your vaccines now to avoid disappointment
• Identify relevant patients through your PMR system, use labels on their prescription bags, send them a letter, email, text or make a phone call. Task your team with this and urge them to encourage patients to have their vaccination while in the pharmacy
• Consider off-site vaccinations for care homes and other care settings for
  eligible patients
• Involve and utilise your whole team. A well-planned, well-executed service is likely to be much more successful. You’ll need to support your team and consider any training they may need. Some team members may not be confident about approaching patients to offer the service – suggesting scenarios or even informal role-play can help. You may also want to consider a ‘flu champion’ among your staff who can promote and market the service for you.
• Have all of your SOPs, documentation and signed PGDs in a folder, ready for inspection if required. Ensure that your team know where the folder is.
• Remember, commissioning is only one way of generating additional income. Once you have established your service, you can also offer it privately to patients who may value the convenience of being vaccinated within a pharmacy. This is a massive opportunity to maximise your profitability and should be a key consideration during your planning process.

Help is available

You don’t have to go it alone – seek help when starting out. At Numark we have supported pharmacists and their teams in providing the flu service over the past four years as part of both private and commissioned services, and our comprehensive training programme provides all you need to set up, establish and deliver a flu vaccination service. We are only too happy to offer advice and discuss our support tools to help implement and, more importantly, to sustain your service long term.

The flu vaccination programme is not only important for the individual patient but it is also important for public health and for the NHS as a whole. Reducing the incidence of flu and the complications it causes will ultimately reduce hospital admissions and save the NHS considerable sums of money. Supporting the NHS in this way will ultimately promote the value of pharmacy in delivering services and make it more likely that other services will be commissioned in the future.