Lothian NHS Board Waverley Gate 2-4 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3EG Telephone: 0131 536 9000 www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk Date: 15/10/2020 Your Ref: Our Ref: 4683 Enquiries to : Richard Mutch Extension: 35687 Direct Line: 0131 465 5687 [email protected] [email protected] Dear FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – FLU VACCINATIONS I write in response to your request for information in relation to flu vaccinations within NHS Lothian. Question: 1. Whether the flu vaccination programme in 2020/21 will be carried out by GPs or by the local health and social care partnerships. Answer: Mixed Model - HSCPs heavily involved in delivery this year and some remaining GP involvement Primary school flu delivered by Health Board NHS Staff flu largely delivered by peer vaccinators Community Pharmacy pilots have been expanded this year Models vary across four HSCPs in Lothian. Question: 2. The number of people who were eligible for a free flu vaccine in 2019/20 and the number who will be eligible in 2020/21. Answer: Cohorts 2019/20 Numbers Eligible age 65 and over 152,000 all at risk 119,000 Preg no risk 6,000 Preg clin risk 1,000 Carers 6,000 NHS staff 26,000 2-5 years not at school 24,000 Primary School 67,000 Total 539,000 New cohorts 2020/21 - COHORT INFORMATION WILL BE Flu Vaccinations - October 2020 AVAILABLE ON FLU PORTAL STARTING 12 OCTOBER. THIS WILL NOT INCLUDE 50-64 AGE GROUP. Question: 3. The number of invite letters that have been sent out for the 2020/21 vaccination programme. Answer: Letter National Flu Letter 136,198 2 to 5 Flu letter 6,284 Consent Packs Primary Pupils 67,000 National At risk Letter 84,625 SIRS Scheduled Letters( to date) 27,815 Total 254, 922 Please note that not all patients are invited by letter as models vary. Question: 4. The dates on which the flu vaccination programme is to take place and the planned location for where vaccinations will be carried out. Answer: Programme started 14 September and will mainly end early to mid December as things stand. Delivered in a variety of settings including walk through, drive through, GP, Council and NHS buildings and public spaces such as large gardens, pavilions and halls. Model varies across HSCPs. Question: 5. The number of flu vaccines ordered for the vaccination programme in 2019/20 and the number that have been ordered (or for which there are plans to order) for the programme in 2020/21. Answer: Season 19/20 Area Stores were issued in total 100,145 doses of Flu vaccine. These were made up of: o Fluenz to schools, GPs o Staff Flu o Inpatient Flu In practices and Hubs and Community Pharmacy, 191, 940 doses were ordered Flu Vaccinations - October 2020 For 20/21, Planned allocations for first phase of campaign is 259, 610 vaccines so far allocated to Lothian GP practices and hubs. This is determined by National Procurement based on uptake last year plus 10%. We await further allocations from National Procurement for the first phase of the campaign. Further stock will become available in November. Vaccine Holding Centre: Total doses = 11, 386 ordered so far and hoping to order another 10,000 doses. Primary School Flu: Total allocation: 80, 130 (32130 deliveries pending, 48180 deliveries received) For further information adult flu, please find our allocations https://nhsnss.org/services/practitioner/medical/adult-flu-vaccine-distribution- arrangements-202021/. Question: 6. What the costs (or estimated costs) were for the flu vaccination programme in 2019/20 and will be in 2020/21. Answer: In 2019/20 the costs of the flu vaccination programme was £4.5m (including £2.2m for Vaccines). In 2020/21 the estimates is £7.8m (including £3.3m for Vaccines) Question: 7. A copy of all official correspondence sent to GPs regarding the flu vaccination programme. Answer: Please see enclosed. I hope the information provided helps with your request. If you are unhappy with our response to your request, you do have the right to request us to review it. Your request should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this letter, and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt. If our decision is unchanged following a review and you remain dissatisfied with this, you then have the right to make a formal complaint to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months of receipt of our review response. You can do this by using the Scottish Information Commissioner’s Office online appeals service at www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal. If you remain dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s response you then have the option to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law. Flu Vaccinations - October 2020 If you require a review of our decision to be carried out, please write to the FOI Reviewer at the email address at the head of this letter. The review will be undertaken by a Reviewer who was not involved in the original decision-making process. FOI responses (subject to redaction of personal information) may appear on NHS Lothian’s Freedom of Information website at: http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/YourRights/FOI/Pages/default.aspx Yours sincerely PROFESSOR ALEX MCMAHON Executive Director, Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs Executive Lead for REAS and Prison Healthcare Cc: Chief Executive Foi From: on behalf of GMSContract Sent: 04 September 2020 09:28 To: GMSContract Attachments: Ordering Open email - 27 August 2020 v1.0.docx; MarketPlace User Guide Aug2020.pptx; 2020 03 09 Letter to GPs Seasonal Flu Vaccine Arrangements.pdf Importance: High 1 is made available on GP practice websites to help patients find out all the available options where they can get an NHS flu vaccine locally as part of the communication strategy for the flu campaign. The community pharmacy provision of flu vaccine in the eligible cohorts is anticipated to be opportunistic and act as a top up/mop up for flu vaccination. Practices may choose to direct patients to the pharmacy flu vaccine pilot service where they are unable to offer a suitable appointment time and they cannot get to other clinics organised by HSCPs. Patients should be directed to the list of participating pharmacies so they can choose one which is most convenient for them or to check the service directory on NHSInform for their postcode. Due to Covid 19 restrictions participating pharmacies will vary in how they offer the service compared to normal. Your local pharmacist may contact the practice to discuss how they will provide the service and how they can best help support the flu campaign this year. Please ensure all practice staff who deal with flu vaccination appointments for your patients are made aware of the HSCP and community pharmacy options so they can sign post appropriately if a suitable appointment is not available in the practice. The vaccine used by the pharmacies will be the aTIV for the over 65s and cQIV for the other eligible groups. Pharmacies will record NHS flu vaccination using an NEO IT system flu module. This information can be downloaded by NHS Lothian. The information will be added to GP patient records for those who have received flu vaccine along with HSCP data for flu vaccination. How this happens will be dependent on the local HSCP arrangements for external clinics. Key Points Opportunistic top up/mop up flu vaccination to support the 2020/21 flu campaign Eligible groups include: >65 years; 18‐64 years at ;pregnant women, unpaid carers and household members of those shielding. Vaccination may only be obtained from pharmacies which are participating in the pilot (see attached lists) Please ensure all reception and practice staff who deal with flu vaccinations are aware of all the local options for flu vaccination Do please contact us if you have any further questions. Thank you for your support. Best wishes Maureen Maureen Reid Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health Waverley Gate 2-4 Waterloo Place Edinburgh EH1 3EG Telephone number: Mobile Work days: Tuesday Wednesday Friday 2 From: on behalf of GMSContract Sent: 26 August 2020 14:25 To: GMSContract Subject: PCA(M)(2020)14 - Influenza and Pneumococcal DES Attachments: PCA(M)(2020)14 - Influenza and Pneumococcal DES.PDF Message sent to senior GPs, clinical mailboxes and practice managers in Lothian Please ensure that all relevant staff are aware of this message Dear colleagues, please find attached PCA(M) 2020 (14) on Flu and Pneumococcal Immunisation DES. Once you have had a chance to read this you will appreciate that it is a different approach to what we have agreed in Lothian. HSCPs , NHS Lothian and GPs have been working together to implement plans since June. We have discussed this PCA with HSCPs and GP Sub Committee/LMC and we believe that it is too late in the day to introduce a completely new approach to the flu vaccine campaign. We also believe that what has been agreed in Lothian and in each HSCP gives the best chance to maximise uptake for your patients, treats practices fairly, accommodates local variation and protects practice profitability. NHS Lothian and GP Sub Committee/LMC will write to the Scottish Government saying that we will exercise para 43 in the PCA and that we will continue with the arrangements that we have agreed locally. These were set out in the recent flu update to practices. The PCA notes that more detail will follow in a further letter e.g. on item of service fees. We will review this when it is received and discuss any implications with GP Sub Committee/LMC.