The October start date for Covid and flu vaccinations will cause 'problems with capacity' for community pharmacies as they juggle increased prescriptions and seasonal ailments alongside the vaccination programme, the chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) has warned.

This comes as NHS England (NHSE) confirmed this week that the main flu and Covid vaccination programmes, for all cohorts except flu vaccinations for pregnant women and children, would commence on Thursday 3 October 2024.

'An October start date reflects JCVI advice that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness can wane over time in adults and so a later start date is preferable,' NHSE said in a letter to providers.

And it confirmed that payment would only be made for flu and Covid-19 vaccinations administered from the service commencement date onwards.

'We anticipate that most flu and Covid-19 vaccinations should be completed by Friday 20 December 2024.

'Outreach activities for Covid-19 vaccination should continue to be delivered to underserved communities until Friday 31 January 2025. Flu vaccinations will be available until Monday 31 March 2025,' NHSE added.

IPA chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck told The Pharmacist today that while pharmacies 'will be ready for the October start', the change from the sector's usual start date of September would cause 'problems with capacity'.

With an October start date, community pharmacies 'have one month less' than they have in previous years in which to deliver the vaccinations, she said.

And September had been 'the best month to start vaccinating and getting traction as it is our quietest month of autumn/winter until the end of January due to prescription volumes uplift and seasonal ailments uplift', Dr Hannbeck added.

Meanwhile, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) highlighted that this year, delivery of the vaccination programme would take place alongside increased thresholds for Pharmacy First clinical pathway consultations, which it warned would 'undoubtedly present new challenges with workload'.

'If there is additional work, there needs to be additional resources too,' the PDA said.

And it added that the Responsible Pharmacist 'can decide what services can be safely provided with the staffing resources available on the day based on their professional judgment'.

'Ultimately community pharmacies need to move to a multi-pharmacist model to deliver everything being asked of them by government and their employers,' the PDA added.

Meanwhile, Dr Nick Thayer, head of policy at the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said the CCA was 'confident pharmacies are ready for this year's flu and Covid-19 vaccination programmes'.

'Pharmacy teams are experienced in delivering these programmes and will do so again this year,' he said.

'Pharmacies have a strong track record of delivering national vaccination programs. As of December 2023, pharmacies had administered over 40 million Covid-19 vaccinations, a quarter of the entire vaccination programme at the time,' Dr Thayer added.

And he reiterated the CCA's calls 'for more vaccine programmes to be commissioned from pharmacies'.

'This makes sense for patients who value the convenience and accessibility offered by local pharmacies. We believe that community pharmacy can, in time, become the natural home for all vaccinations,' he said.