07 September 2021
Liz Fidler, President of APTUK comments on the national protocol updates for The Pharmaceutical Journal.
The national protocol for inactivated influenza vaccine has been recently updated to include staff and supervision requirements of the national protocols for COVID-19 vaccination. Liz Fidler, President of APTUK was asked to comment on the revisions for The Pharmaceutical Journal:
Pharmacy technicians have played an integral role in covid vaccine rollout, where there is a vaccine there is a pharmacy technician! This has provided key evidence to support the welcome inclusion in the national protocol that pharmacy technicians can undertake stages 2,3 4 of the Flu vaccination programme.
I am pleased with the inclusion but disappointed that pharmacy technicians are not enabled to complete the whole process including consent, for which they have the skills and knowledge as a registered profession to undertake. A missed opportunity at a time of need.
From procuring, supply, storage, reconstituting, training Health Care Professionals (HCPs) and administering the vaccine, the profession has embraced the opportunity to use its knowledge and skills for the benefit of patients and communities.
The irony of current legislation is that even though a pharmacy technician can competently carry out the above and often are training other HCPs, they are not on the list of HCPs who can administer and supply a medicine or medicinal product under a Patient Group Direction. This inhibits the profession as under the national protocol consent needs to be obtained from a HCP on the PGD list! This can mean the process is not as straight forward as it can be and not an effective use of another HCPs time.
Appropriate skill mix is a must as healthcare services catch up, utilising a registered healthcare workforce as mass vaccination/immunisation campaigns must be enabled for patient and service benefit.
Given the significant numbers of vaccines to be administered APTUK has been working closely to raise this issue. The profession is able to contribute more and at this time of global need should be empowered to do so.
Full details of the national protocol can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-protocol-for-inactivated-influenza-vaccine