All adult vaccinations should be advanced pharmacy services, says think-tank

Health & NHS news

All adult vaccinations should be advanced pharmacy services, says think-tank

A report by public service think-tank Reform is calling for the next Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) to define all adult vaccinations as “advanced services”. 

NHS England should also adopt the same data integration standards as applied for antibiotics, blood pressure checks and contraceptive prescriptions to all new vaccination services, says the report, which is entitled The power of prevention: boosting vaccine uptake for better outcomes’.

It notes that vaccination uptake could be greatly improved by making better use of existing assets such as community pharmacies. This is because pharmacies have a far wider reach than other vaccine providers, are more likely to be situated in high deprivation areas and are often open in the evening and on weekends, the researchers say.

Pharmacy’s successful track record in delivering vaccination programmes is also highlighted by the report. During the pandemic, for instance, pharmacies delivered more than 22 million Covid vaccines, rising to more than 40 million by the end of 2023.

Despite this, pharmacies are not commissioned to provide the majority of adult vaccines, the report points out. Yet evidence suggests that where pharmacies have been involved in delivering ‘catch-up’ vaccines, such as MMR, this has had a positive effect on uptake rates. 

Remuneration for future vaccinations delivered by community pharmacy should better reflect NHS England’s own belief in the “extraordinary power” of immunisation, says the report – as well as the cost savings vaccines can generate in other parts of the health system. 

There is also inadequate real-time data sharing regarding individuals’ vaccine status between general practice and community pharmacy, meaning the potential to carry out “opportunistic vaccinations” is constrained. 

This is primarily a bureaucratic, not technical, challenge, according to the report, as data is readily shared between providers regarding antibiotic and contraceptive medications. Putting in place similar approvals for vaccination status would support a more proactive approach to vaccination in primary care. 

‘Step-change’

Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (which was interviewed for the report), said the recommendations if implemented would deliver “a step-change” in vaccine uptake. 

“Reform’s recommendation that the next contractual framework should define all adult vaccinations as ‘advanced services’ is a no-brainer. This would make it easier for pharmacies to deliver the vaccinations that patients and the public need. We urge the Government and NHS England to take this recommendation forward,” said Mr Harrison.

 “The CCA believes that community pharmacy could, in time, become the natural home for all adult vaccinations. Pharmacies offer convenience and accessibility, especially to those in more deprived areas, and have been integral in building vaccine confidence and reaching underserved communities”.

Picture credit Seqirus

Copy Link copy link button

Health & NHS news