Details of the National Influenza Immunisation Programme for 2019-20 are set out in the Annual Flu letter – WHC 2019 (015). As with last year, all staff working in adult residential and adult care homes with nursing, who have regular contact with residents, will be eligible for free NHS vaccinations through community pharmacy.
Pharmacists are required to confirm eligibility before providing the vaccine to people claiming this criteria. Clearly, if staff are known to the pharmacy staff, or have a photo ID badge that clearly identifies them as a member of staff in an adult care home, this is easily done.
However, where this is not the case, we want to make it as easy as possible for your staff to access vaccination so have attached a voucher which you can print/photocopy and fill in with individual staff member details and direct them to the nearest participating pharmacy (see http://www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk/ for the services offered by local pharmacies).
To help boost uptake, we have been encouraging community pharmacies to provide clinics for your staff in the Care Home (provided suitable facilities for this can be arranged). If this would be useful for you and your staff, please contact your local pharmacy to see if they are able to provide this. If you are unable to arrange this through a local pharmacy, please contact the relevant person below, who will try to put you in touch with another pharmacy who is able to provide this.
Vaccination will be available from local pharmacies from early October onwards.
If you have any questions, please contact the Medicines Management team:
- Flintshire/Wrexham: Simon Gill at Simon.Gill@wales.nhs.uk
- Conwy/Denbighshire: Rory Wilkinson at Rory.Wilkinson@wales.nhs.uk
- Ynys Môn/Gwynedd: Gwyn Peris-Jones at Gwyn.Peris-Jones@wales.nhs.uk
