Pharmacists concerned about flu vaccination workload, says PDA

Some pharmacists are being expected to fulfil flu vaccination bookings as frequently as every five minutes, the Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) has said.

It raised concerns that expectations around flu vaccination delivery are affecting workload, stress and the delivery of other pharmacy services.

The association told The Pharmacist that it has received an increase in calls from members ahead of the flu vaccination season.

According to the PDA, the 'numerous' concerns raised by pharmacists include:

• Bookings for flu vaccinations being made for the pharmacist at five minute intervals throughout the day without additional cover
• The Responsible Pharmacist (RP) on duty being overridden by a non-pharmacist manager when they raise concerns
• Being told to prioritise flu vaccinations over other essential pharmacy services
• Difficulty balancing flu vaccinations with the other services that are supposed to be undertaken in respect of the consultation room (i.e. the consultation room is fully booked),
• Pharmacists being concerned about the expertise of others doing the service under the National Protocol
• Locum pharmacists being booked to undertake the service, but not always being told beforehand that this is the expectation, so sometimes they don’t have the training, and
• Locum pharmacists being made to leave if they raise professional concerns about the workload.

Alison Jones, director of policy and communications at the PDA, told The Pharmacist that the PDA welcomed 'the increasing awareness of the services that pharmacists can provide in local communities'.

But she said these must be 'appropriately planned and staffed accordingly to meet the demand'.

And she warned that being expected to fulfil vaccination bookings as much as every five minutes would 'undoubtedly have a knock-on effect on other services and significantly increase workload and stress'.

In response to the concerns, the PDA has released updated guidance in line with its Safer Pharmacies Charter.

'The PDA’s Safer Pharmacies Charter includes commitments around pharmacists being able to use their professional judgment and raise any concerns, for there to be adequate rest breaks and for pharmacies to be appropriately staffed. The guidance that we have published supports these principles and is around ensuring safety,' Ms Jones said.

The guidance emphasises that non-pharmacist managers [NPMs] 'must never attempt to override the authority or decision made by an RP'.

It says: 'It is only the RP that can decide the safe volumes that are deliverable and there must be no attempt by an SP [Superintendent Pharmacist], an NPM, or an owner to pressure or coerce an RP into opening the diary for the booking of excessive volumes of patients.'

And locums must be informed, prior to accepting the booking, of the volume of vaccinations that have been scheduled for that day and the number of trained staff that are scheduled to work in the pharmacy, the guidance stated.

And a locum pharmacist acting as RP 'has every right to cancel a booking if an excessive and unsafe workload is booked in for them without prior warning and agreement', the PDA said.

In August, the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) warned that the October start date for Covid and flu vaccinations would cause 'problems with capacity' for community pharmacies.

Chief executive Dr Leyla Hannbeck highlighted the increased prescriptions and seasonal ailments that pharmacy teams would be juggling alongside the vaccination programme.

And the PDA has previously warned that the October start would coincide with 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.