NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) have confirmed funding to support “reasonable additional costs” incurred by contractors during the vaccination sessions off the pharmacy premises.
The guidance has been published on the Future NHS platform.
The funding is restricted towards the costs of additional venue hire and associated costs inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.
Besides, pre-authorisation of cost will be given on a first come first served basis, from a limited budget.
Contractors seeking to claim for additional costs will be required to:
- obtain pre-authorisation of the costs from the regional NHSE&I office prior to any spend in line with the guidance; and
- ensure that the costs are not already covered via any other means.
Community pharmacy has been providing flu vaccinations since September 2015.
Every year the NHS runs a seasonal flu vaccination campaign from September to March to vaccinate all patients who are at risk of developing more serious complications from the virus.
The accessibility of pharmacies, their extended opening hours and the option to walk in without an appointment have become popular with patients seeking vaccinations.
Sukhi Basra