PDA launches vaccine portal for locum pharmacists

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has developed a web portal to assist locum pharmacists to access Covid-19 vaccination service similar to their fellow employed colleagues.

With the launch of the new portal, the association ensures self-employed locums that they can get the same access to Covid-19 vaccination priority as is do to their employed counterparts.

The locum vaccination portal will be available to all locums at zero cost, whether they are members of the PDA or not.

“The PDA’s work in this area is still ongoing and details of the NHS arrangements for pharmacist vaccination programmes for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shared in the coming days,” the association said.

The portal will provide a mechanism to support identification of the most appropriate Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) through which the locum could receive a vaccination.

Information provided by the locum will be shared with NHSE&I to share with the selected CCG.

Earlier, the PDA told the NHS that a mechanism was needed to enable locums to take charge of their own vaccination booking process after identifying which CCG would be most appropriate for them.

Following these discussions, the NHS has agreed that the PDA may operate a web portal that the PDA is creating specifically for this purpose.

“This will allow locums to select the CCG most proximate to their current geographical location. Once the list has been gathered from the whole of England, the details will be transferred directly to the respective CCG operational centres and they can arrange the vaccination appointments with locums directly,” the PDA said.