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Fewer patients may benefit from pharmacy-delivered flu services next autumn as commissioners bow to pressure from GPs, Numark has warned.

The warning follows news that North Midlands (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire) will be commissioning a 2015/16 pharmacy flu service €“ but only for at-risk under 65s. And there are rumours of other Local Area Teams following this example, said Mimi Lau, Numark's director of pharmacy services.

€As ever, pharmacy has the crumbs when GP surgeries have picked off the cases they want to deal with; those easiest to meet their targets,€ said Ms Lau.

And the reorganisation of LATs is exacerbating an already patchy picture.

For example, NHS Arden has merged with Birmingham and The Black Country, and each had different policies last year with regard to flu vaccination delivered by pharmacy. Arden commissioned the service across all patient groups (with good results) whilst Birmingham conducted a pilot. €My concern is that the new LAT will follow the Birmingham, not Arden model.€

Ms Lau called for a national pharmacy flu vaccination service for all risk groups.