Panic over sky-high rates of flu in hospitals has left chemists struggling to stock jabs even before cases of the illness peak, pharmacy leaders have warned.
Professor Claire Anderson, the president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, hit out at the difficulties as she called for better national coordination and planning to ensure everyone eligible can access flu vaccinations easily.
On Tuesday, NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said those eligible for an NHS jab could “still get protected” by visiting a Covid walk-in vaccination site “or finding a pharmacy offering the flu vaccine.”
But an investigation by The Independent found chemists areas including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Stourbridge in the West Midlands reporting that they could not get hold of the innoculation.
The National Pharmacy Association said that they had heard of pharmacies who are part of their organisation being unable to get hold of supplies of the jabs in St Albans.
At the weekend Adam Osprey, head of policy and development at Community Pharmacy Scotland, which represents pharmacy owners, also warned that demand was outstripping supply.
open image in galleryChemists are struggling to stock flu jabs (David Cheskin/PA) (PA Archive)
More than 18 million people get a flu jab every year. But Professor Anderson said that access to the vaccine was currently “varied” across Britain.
She warned that high demand in England has led to “stock issues” while she said that in Scotland a late change in NHS eligibility for free vaccinations, which saw the age rise from 50 to 65 and over, “may have been a contributing factor to a surge in demand for private flu jabs”. She warned: “These challenges highlight the need for better national coordination and planning to ensure everyone eligible can access flu vaccinations easily.”
Ex-health minister and the former chair of the Commons Health select committee, Steve Brine, told The Independent that this year’s flu vaccination programme has been “pretty muted” and “not good enough”. In 2023 his committee produced a report calling for “a more flexible delivery model, that makes the most of the wide range of healthcare professionals” to “ensure that nobody misses out on vital vaccine protection”.
open image in galleryNHS England’s national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis has said those eligible can “still get protected” by “finding a pharmacy offering the flu vaccine.” (Lucy North/PA) (PA Archive)
On Thursday new figures showed that the number of flu patients in hospitals in England was more than triple what it was a year ago, amid a “mammoth demand” on wards.
NHS data showed there were 5,111 flu cases in hospitals on Sunday, up from 5,074 the week before and more than three times the 1,523 figure for the same date last year.
It comes after multiple hospitals declared or extended critical incidents, the highest NHS alert level, as the surge in respiratory cases overwhelms accident and emergency departments.
In response, Professor Powis said hospitals were “under exceptional pressure” with “mammoth demand stemming from this ongoing cold weather snap and respiratory viruses like flu – all on the back of 2024 being the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance teams.”
He praised NHS staff who he said were “often working in hospitals that are full to bursting.” At the same time Professor Julian Redhead, NHS national clinical director for urgent and emergency care, warned flu cases had yet to peak.
Professor Redhead said: “It’s too early to say it’s definitively peaked. I would hope there would be a peak in the next one to two weeks.
“We have pressure in emergency care all year round but the winter, with the added pressures of flu and other viruses, really makes that a really stark feeling of pressure
“Wards are now full to bursting and that pressure is feeding back into A&E departments, with patients being treated in environments not usually used for clinical care.”
In recent days, hospitals in Northamptonshire, Cornwall, Liverpool, Hampshire, Birmingham, Plymouth and the Wirral have declared critical incidents.
One local pharmacist in Birmingham, who asked not to be named, said: “We can’t get any in and we are still getting patients come in.” “We do have a list of patients and their numbers, so if they do come back, we will contact them. “This week, we’ve had about five or six people enquire about it. So maybe averaging one a day.” He added that he had not been given as reason “why they don’t have them in stock”.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are not aware of any vaccine shortages and there is still stock available. Anyone eligible who has not been vaccinated should do so – there are vaccines available for you.
“Decisions about the shape of our vaccination programmes are guided by expert advice from the independent JCVI about how best to protect those most at risk from flu.
“It is vitally important that everyone has their recommended vaccinations, as they are the best way to help protect people from diseases that can cause serious harm. People can still come to walk-in vaccination centres or receive a vaccine at some local pharmacies around the country without needing to book in advance.”