More to be done to ensure no one too far from a jab centre
Our campaign to ensure pharmacies can deliver vaccine
Pharmacies across the country have started delivering the Covid-19 vaccine since the Gazette launched its A Shot in the Arm campaign, but there is much work to be done to ensure no-one is more than a tenminute walk from a vaccination centre.
Last week, this newspaper joined its sister titles across the countryinurgingBorisJohnson to allow local pharmacies to administer the vaccine, to make sure every corner of our communities has easy access to a jab.
Pharmacists we spoke to all said they were raring to go and delivery of the Covid vaccine would be no different from the annual flu shots.
On Thursday, NHS England announced 200 high-street pharmacies would start receiving the vaccine before the end of the month, as more supplies of the OxfordAstraZeneca jabs become available.
Larger centres are being prioritised in order to deliver high volumes with safe social distancing.
None of the first group of pharmacies announced are in Sussex and, with more than 11,000 community pharmacies in the UK, 200 is but a drop in the ocean.
That is why our A Shot in the Arm campaign continues, backed by health leaders across the country, including Community Pharmacy Surrey and Sussex (CPSS) – the organisation that represents all ofSussex’s319localpharmacies.
AspokesmanforCPSS,Hinal Patel, said it was ‘fantastic’ to see the first pharmacy sites going live, in a sign that the Government recognised they had a role to play.
“However, the number of premises nationwide is still very small, with none currently in Sussex, and we urge the Government to consider giving community pharmacy a larger role still in the programme’s roll out,” she said.
“The strict qualifying criteria means that some premises across the county will be unsuitable for use. A relaxation of the rules however, for example reducing the minimum number of doses from 1,000 per week, would allow many more premises to take part.
“We know that many of our patients, particularly the elderly, would value the convenience and accessibility of local vaccination centres, and ourexperienceinadministering anddeliveringtheflujabyearon year, makes clear our capability to be able to deliver at scale.
“We believe our network of community pharmacies across Sussex could make a significant difference to the vaccination efforts in the county and we will continue to press further to contribute to this critical programme of vaccination, and help save lives.”
Last week, the CPSS said if Sussex’s pharmacies vaccinated 20 people every day they were open, they could deliver 6,380 doses a day. That is why we will keep pushing the Government to do more, extend the vaccination roll-out to all of our local pharmacies and make sure nobody is more than a ten-minute walk away from a vaccination centre.
Meanwhile former Prime Minister Tony Blair backed our call.
He said: “Government has recognised the role that GPs play in people’s lives but it’s important they do the same for pharmacies.
“During the pandemic over 70 per cent of people visited one and they’re embedded in local communities – even in remote areas.”