NHS ACCUSED OF ROLLING OUT FLU VACCINE TOO LATE
Health officials have been accused of rolling out vaccines too slowly ahead of the winter flu crisis.
The NHS has been plunged into a “worst-case scenario”, with record numbers in hospital with flu and with no peak in sight, while junior doctors prepare for five-day strike.
Now pharmacy leaders have criticised this year’s vaccine rollout, saying it came too late and was “botched” by poor communications, meaning many of those eligible did not come forward.
They said a “patchy” rollout of the programme to vaccinate children in schools meant many were now turning up at chemists in search of vaccines they should already have been given.
The major rollout of vaccines did not start until October following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to push back the start by a month, so most adults would be vaccinated close to the time when the virus began to circulate.
That gamble meant that when flu arrived a month earlier than normal, millions of people who were eligible for jabs remained unvaccinated.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: “We used to start earlier and there were no problems; we got mobilised early.
“This year it started in October and they did a botched job communicating it. There just was not enough awareness among the public so people were not coming forward.
“Starting in October was too late, but also didn’t allow for teething problems, and there were a lot of them.
“We have many eligible groups coming to pharmacies for their vaccines, saying they didn’t know they were eligible for them on the NHS.”
The programme for schools still went ahead in September because protection lasts much longer in children.
But despite repeated warnings that the flu season has come early, schools were told they only had to complete their rollout by the end of this week.
More than half of children eligible for vaccines remain unvaccinated, with NHS officials now trying to identity schools with the lowest take-up rates, for catch-up clinics in the last week of school before term ends.
Dr Hannbeck said: “We have found the rollout in schools to be patchy. The organisation hasn’t been good. As a result, we have parents bringing their children for vaccinations in pharmacies, and we embrace it, we can vaccinate them.”
A Department of Health memo from August explains how the decision was taken to push back the rollout. But despite evidence from October that the flu season had arrived early, no change was made to the planned timetable.
The document states: “Based on the evidence that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness can wane over time in adults, the JCVI advised moving the start of the programme for most adults to the beginning of October.
“It is preferable to vaccinate most adults closer to the time when the flu virus is likely to circulate [which typically peaks in December or January], as this will provide optimal protection during the highest risk period. The majority of the vaccinations will need to be completed by the end of November.”
It added: “Protection from the vaccine lasts much longer in children, therefore the priority is to start vaccinating all children (including those in clinical risk groups) from Sept 1 or as soon as vaccine becomes available, both to provide early protection to children and reduce transmission to the wider population.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We follow the expert scientific advice of the JCVI on how best to protect people.
“This year’s flu strain is particularly challenging, so it is vital that patients and staff can get protected. Over 17 million vaccines have been delivered this autumn – 170,000 more compared to this time last year, with over 60,000 more NHS staff also getting their jab.”
2025-12-12T18:10:39Z
