Pharmacies Face Surge of Ineligible Patients Seeking COVID-19 Boosters - Urgent Action Requested
[City, Date] - Community pharmacies across England are experiencing a significant strain due to a high volume of patients attempting to book COVID-19 vaccinations despite not meeting current eligibility criteria. The issue stems from confusion surrounding changes to the vaccination program compared to last winter, according to a dialog from the Company Chemists Association (CCA) to its members.
The CCA reports that a ample proportion – estimated by pharmacy owners to be between one-third and one-half – of appointments booked through the National Booking System (NBS) are for individuals who are not currently eligible for a booster. Many patients previously eligible are incorrectly assuming continued eligibility and booking appointments, despite eligibility wording within the NBS.
Several factors are believed to be contributing to this issue,including patients not reading or understanding the eligibility details,difficulties with legibility on smaller screens,and a lack of clarity regarding the definition of immunosuppression in relation to their medical conditions. Furthermore, some pharmacy owners have reported instances of general practice staff directing ineligible patients to pharmacies for vaccination.
This influx of ineligible patients is creating significant, unfunded workload for pharmacy teams, requiring staff to spend time explaining the situation, frequently enough facing upset or even abusive reactions from disappointed individuals. The CCA has labelled this situation “entirely unacceptable.”
The CCA has urgently contacted NHS England requesting immediate action,including:
* Improved NBS wording: Amendments to the NBS to clearly highlight the changes in eligibility criteria compared to last winter.
* Enhanced Information Access: Prominent display of links to further information on current eligibility requirements within the NBS booking process.
* Proactive Patient Communication: A message to patients who have already booked appointments via NBS, reminding them of the eligibility changes and confirming checks will be conducted at the pharmacy.
* Pharmacy Resources: Provision of NHS-branded communication materials for pharmacies to use when explaining the changes to patients.
* GP Reminders: Communications to general practice teams reinforcing the updated eligible cohorts.
The CCA states it will continue to collaborate with NHS England to implement these changes and identify lessons learned to improve future vaccination program commissioning, IT systems, and public communications.
