Services Database The Influenza Immunisation in Community Pharmacies for Eligible Local Authority Staff/ Contractors within the County of Dorset 2015-16

The aim of this service is to increase the uptake of the influenza vaccination to eligible Local Authority Staff who work with vulnerable / at risk clients. This is to reduce the serious morbidity and mortality of influenza by immunising those who care for individual(s) who are more likely to have a serious or complicated illness should they develop influenza.

The administration of the influenza vaccine shall be provided under a locally agreed or private PGD. The provision shall take place in a registered pharmacy premises, by a suitably trained pharmacist.

Individuals who are eligible to access this service are:

• Staff who have been identified by their local authority whose absence may affect business continuity (even though they may not have contact with a vulnerable group);
• Local authority employees or provider employees who present to the pharmacy with a voucher and ID badge and have been identified by their employer / commissioner as appropriate to receive the vaccine because they have a duty of care to protect their patients and service users from influenza infection. These are staff for whom their work involves contact with individuals or clients who may fall into “at risk” groups (see list below);
  • Chronic respiratory disease
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Chronic heart disease
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic liver disease
  • Chronic neurological disease
  • Diabetes
  • Immunosuppression

The pharmacy contractor will ensure that any pharmacist who is involved in administering a vaccine has successfully completed a training course that meets the requirements of the National Minimum Standards for Immunisation Training (published by the Health Protection Agency).

Training must provide pharmacists with the skills necessary for administering intra-muscular injection, including:

• needle length and needle bevel – research findings on the significance of this;
• body mass and choice of needle length;
• intramuscular sites and the rationale for this choice;
• how to administer an intramuscular injection, including patient assessment, side effects and contraindications to influenza administration; and
• anaphylaxis – recognition and treatment.

Where a minimum of 20 vaccinations have been delivered in the last 12 months by the pharmacist, full training is not required, but completion of a refresher training course is required which should include recent national changes to the immunisation programme/ schedule.

The pharmacist has completed and passed a recognised Basic Life Support (BLS) training course in the past 12 months, or approved update training. BLS training must be undertaken every 3 years; this can be face to face or via e-learning.

Pharmacist can access resuscitation update via e-learning module, PHE e-learning module (On-line immunisation training modules is available Skills for Health Core Learning:

https://corelearning.skillsforhealth.org.uk/local/sfhadmin/login/index.php and NPA e-learning module or approved alternative update training.

The pharmacist has signed an authorised copy of the Public Health Dorset Patient Group Direction for the Administration of the 2015/16 Influenza Vaccines by Community Pharmacists or has signed a private Patient Group Direction.

Pharmacists should maintain clinical knowledge appropriate to their practice by attending relevant study days, courses and making themselves aware of appropriate literature.