GPs could be stripped of their powers to order flu vaccines after this season's problems over shortages, the Prime Minister indicated yesterday (SUN).
By Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent
09 Jan 2011
The matter needed to be looked at because Britain could be hit by "significant outbreaks" in future winters, Mr Cameron said.
His comments come after widespread problems throughout England emerged last week in obtaining the seasonal flu vaccine.
The situation south of the border is in contrast to that in Scotland, where the Scottish government orders a back-up supply. It currently has a small surplus.
Mr Cameron admitted that there were "some shortages in some places", only days after the Department of Health had insisted that there was "no national shortage".
He conceded it was "very important that we learn the lessons" from this season's outbreak, which is known to have claimed the lives of 50 people so far. Thirteen of the victims have been under 15 years of age and all but four have been under 65.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5, Mr Cameron said: "I think one of the lessons is that it looks likely that, because of the prevalence of swine flu and other strains, we might have quite significant outbreaks in future years."
He went on: "We need to look at the way we order vaccinations and whether more needs to be done."
In England and Wales it is up to GPs to order seasonal flu vaccine, which they do from the manufacturers or wholesalers.
They order more than six months in advance, based on uptake of the vaccine in previous years and guidance from the Department of Health on the "at-risk" groups they should target. This gives the manufacturers enough time to make enough vaccine, which has a six month lead time.
The theory is that GPs are best placed to order the right number, as they know the populations they serve the best.
However, the intensity of this winter's outbreak - with the highest peak in seasonal cases for a decade - has led to increased demand for the seasonal flu vaccine since Christmas.
In Scotland, pharmacists order on behalf of GPs, while the Scottish government orders in an extra amount as well. On Friday it had 40,000 doses remaining, although rates of infection are lower there.
But Dr Clare Gerada, chairman of thr Royal College of GPs, dismissed the idea of centrally ordering flu vaccines.
She said: "I can't see how any system that claims to be centrally run, could be more accurate that 10,000 practices each estimating what they require.
"I can't for the life of me see how a national system could be more accurate than that."
Last Thursday, the Department of Health announced it would be resorting to the 12.7 million-strong stockpile of swine flu vaccine left over from the 2009 pandemic, to bolster supplies. Doses of the Pandemrix vaccine, which only protect against the H1N1 virus and not two other important strains, are currently being distributed to surgeries.
In his interview Mr Cameron also said he had not had the seasonal flu vaccine this winter, because he was not in one of the "at-risk" groups.
He said: "That's the most important thing, is people in the at-risk groups and the over-65s get those flu jabs."
A source close to Mr and Mrs Cameron also disclosed that their children Nancy, six, Arthur, four, and Florence, four months, had not received the jab either.
A spokesman for the Department of Health confirmed that a review of how flu vaccines were purchased was underway.
She said: "The Department of Health each year routinely assesses performance over the flu season in order to provide the NHS with the best possible guidance for the following season.
"We have already said that we are reviewing specifically the need for central procurement of vaccines. This review will report in due course."
Meanwhile, the Shadow Health Secretary has challenged the Coalition to publish figures on how many pregnant women have died of flu this season.
In a letter to Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, John Healey said there was "no justification" for keeping the number secret.
Last summer pregnant women were added to the list of "at-risk" people who should have the seasonal flu jab, after a study showed they were twice as likely to die of swine flu in the 2009 as the population as a whole.
The Health Protection Agency has refused to give numbers of deaths this season, saying that doing so could lead to them being identified.
No comments:
Post a Comment