Pharmacists have reported a 'definite increase' in the number of patients seeking both private and NHS flu vaccinations this January, as NHS England (NHSE) warned flu rates have been more than three times higher than last year.

According to NHSE reports, 239, 679 more NHS flu vaccinations were delivered between the start of the programme in September and January than the same period in the previous year.

High levels of flu cases - with 5,408 patients a day in hospital with the virus in the first week of January - have prompted NHSE to direct patients to GP surgeries and community pharmacies to get vaccinated.

And while circulation of the virus now seem to be starting to decline, The Pharmacist spoke to contractors to understand how community pharmacies have been responding to the unexpected surge in demand so late in the season.

Increase in demand for first-time private flu jab

Berkshire community pharmacist Olivier Picard told The Pharmacist that he had seen a ‘definite increase in interest for the flu vaccine this year’, particularly among those getting the jab privately for the first time.

‘It’s encouraging to see more people taking proactive steps to protect themselves and others,’ he added.

But while some pharmacy contractors have reported a noticeable uptick in patients seeking vaccination, there have also been reports of providers using up their stock and stopping the service.

In December, shadow secretary of state for health and social care Edward Argar raised concerns in parliament that some providers might be running out of vaccines, while some patients have reported appointments being cancelled.

But an NHSE spokesperson told The Pharmacist that it had not been made aware of any national supply issues for vaccinations. Local services 'should ensure that they order enough supplies to meet local demand', they added.

LPC tells pharmacies to 'be prepared'

Nick Hunter, chief executive of Community Pharmacy Nottinghamshire, told The Pharmacist that he expected pharmacies to see an influx in requests because of 'significant' numbers of flu cases in local hospitals and reports of 'most GP practices' having run out of the vaccine or stopped offering it to their patients.

In a social media post, the Local Pharmaceutical Committee (LPC) warned pharmacies to 'be prepared for a possible influx in customers' requesting the jab.

He said the LPC was 'aware many pharmacies are short of vaccine or struggling to get further supplies'.

And he added: 'In part that’s why we made the post, to highlight they need to be prepared to answer patient queries if they can’t get flu vaccines now'.

And he said that for those pharmacies that did have stock remaining, 'there may be an opportunity for them to use up remaining vaccines by promoting the services to anyone not yet vaccinated'.

‘In October, people were going around in T shirts!’

Contractor Ade Williams, in Bristol, suggested that later-than-usual demand may be due to ‘complacency’ from patients from a milder start to the season.

‘In October, people were actually going around in T shirts!’ he said.

But in January, colder temperatures and high flu circulation rates were prompting people to get vaccinated, he suggested.

Mr Williams told The Pharmacist earlier this month that he was seeing a 'surge in demand', with his pharmacy receiving phone calls about vaccinations 'every 10-15 minutes'.

Co-ordinated approach between GPs and pharmacies to use up flu vaccine stock

Mr Williams highlighted how community pharmacies in the area were working together to identify which still had stock to use up, while local GP surgeries that had stock but were no longer offering clinics were offering local pharmacies their vaccines to use – demonstrating the valued role of the sector within wider primary care.

But he noted that the current model of procurement, which sees each pharmacy order vaccine stock a year in advance, places the financial risk with pharmacy contractors.

When pharmacies order stock, they carry the risk of not using it all and then being unable to receive credit or reimbursement for unused stock, Mr Williams said.

‘Something needs to change,' he told The Pharmacist.

And he stressed that as well as reducing the financial risk for contractors, any solution to procurement would need to be flexible enough to respond to demand, work with pharmacies’ storage and workforce capacities, and enable universal accessibility for patients.

'Top-up' ordering of flu vaccines throughout the season

Yorkshire contractor Ashley Cohen told The Pharmacist that he had ordered a 'generous' initial supply of the vaccine in advance, and then had been responding to demand and topping up supply by ordering more stock each month since October.

He said he had been 'surprised' at the level of interest this year. His pharmacies delivered lots of jabs at the beginning of the season and were continuing to see interest from patients, Mr Cohen said.

He said his team had delivered around 7,000 vaccines so far this year across three branches and off-site pop-up locations - around 1,500 more than they did last year.

'We have worked hard', he said, highlighting how the pharmacy group has been offering vaccinations in its branches, community centres, places of worship, housing associations and shopping centres 'to hit the hard to reach individuals as well as the keen and those that book via the national booking system'.