Community pharmacies form part of flu vaccination ‘mop-up’ programme

Community pharmacies in Wales are taking part in the Welsh government’s flu vaccination ‘mop-up’ programme, which is aimed to tackle low vaccination uptake.

In a letter to health boards and community pharmacies, sent on 4 December 2024, Keith Reid, deputy chief medical officer for Wales, shared concerns that participation in the winter respiratory vaccination programme was “well below” where the government would like to see it.

“This is of significant concern as we approach the time of year when we expect to see widespread circulation of flu,” he added.

In the letter, Reid asked health boards to support primary care services with targeted flu ‘mop up’.

He said: “The intention is to maximise uptake in all adult groups, particularly those in a clinical risk group.

“I hope that additional health board support, alongside ongoing planned general practitioner and community pharmacy flu vaccination, will help boost uptake whilst relieving pressure on primary care services during this challenging period.”

At the time, Reid said that health boards were working on plans for how the ‘mop-up’ programme would operate.

A spokesperson for the Welsh government told The Pharmaceutical Journal on 6 January 2025: “All health boards have been running the influenza vaccination ‘mop up’ since early December [2024]. Actions have varied from health board to health board but have included flu vaccine being offered at COVID-19 vaccine clinics, increased twilight and weekend offers, pop-up clinics, GPs offering ‘mop-up’ clinics and district nurses offering flu vaccine as part of routine visits.”

Commenting on the ‘mop-up’ programme, Elen Jones, director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales, said: “Community pharmacies are vital for improving vaccination uptake due to their accessibility and medicines expertise.

“The planned ‘mop-up’ flu vaccination programme in Wales is a welcome step to address low uptake, and ensuring pharmacies are enabled to play an active role will be crucial to help reach those who missed their initial opportunity and protect public health.”

Previously, the Welsh flu vaccination service was part of the ‘Clinical community pharmacy service’, known as ‘Choose Pharmacy’ — which enables pharmacies to provide free advice and treatment for common ailments, access to oral and emergency contraception and emergency supplies of medicines — but has operated as a stand-alone directed national clinical service since September 2024.

Data published by Public Health Wales for the 2023/2024 vaccination programme showed a fall in the number of patients who were vaccinated for flu in community pharmacies, compared with the previous year.

In the winter 2023/2024 vaccination programme, 107,875 patients were vaccinated in community pharmacies, compared with 160,792 in 2022/2023.

The fall was attributed to factors including a change in eligibility.