Vaccinations

Vaccination service - frequently asked questions

 

All vaccinations are now provided by NHS Lanarkshire’s vaccination service – with the exception of travel vaccinations which are delivered by certain community pharmacies. GP practices no longer have responsibility for providing vaccinations.

 

Where is the service based?

The vaccination service provides a range of vaccines from centres that were set up to deliver the covid-19 vaccine. These are:

  • Airdrie Town Hall, Airdrie
  • Alistair McCoist Complex. East Kilbride
  • Eddlewood Public Hall, Hamilton
  • Braidfute Retail Park, Lanark
  • Fernhill Community Centre, Rutherglen
  • Link Community Centre, Cumbernauld
  • Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility, Motherwell

 

How can people contact the service?

The service was initially set up to receive professional referrals only. However, a local number for people to self-refer for vaccinations is currently being set up. Further information will be published, once this has been established.

 

Type of vaccine

Contact details

Travel vaccines:

·        Hepatitis A

·        Typhoid

·        Hepatitis A and typhoid combined

·        Cholera

·        Revaxis (polio / diphtheria / tetanus)

 

 

·    Local information and a list of participating pharmacies are available at www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/services/travel-vaccinations/

 

·    If people don't have online access, refer them to the NHS inform helpline for travel health information on 0800 22 44 88.

 

Covid-19 vaccine

Information is available at www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine or by calling the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013

 

Local information is available at www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/covid-19-vaccine/

Seasonal flu vaccine

The seasonal flu vaccination programme will begin in September 2022. Further information will be published then.

 

In the meantime, information is available at www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/flu-vaccine/ or by calling the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013

School-age children

Contact the School Immunisation Team on 0300 303 3229

All other vaccines

Healthcare professionals can refer using referral form

 

What is the referral process?

GPs will continue to code diagnoses based on correspondence from specialist colleagues, and these clinical records will continue to be used to generate cohorts for risk-based routine vaccinations such as seasonal flu and pneumococcal vaccinations, in those not otherwise of an age to receive them.

If secondary care staff have patients who need to be vaccinated, they should refer patients directly to the vaccination service by using the referral form above rather than asking patients to contact their GP.

 There will be times where patients are receiving treatment in other health boards and need to receive vaccinations before they can begin this treatment. Referral information for West of Scotland health boards has been shared to ensure people are vaccinated in their board of residence.

What are the plans for future covid-19 vaccines and the seasonal flu vaccine?

These will be delivered in the same way as previous years, from the seven centres listed above.

 

Extracts from Albasoft will continue to generate the cohorts for scheduling appointments. It is expected that people aged 65 and over will receive a letter with details of their appointment and people aged under 65 will book online.

 

Flu vaccine appointments for children aged under 2 who are at-risk and all 2 to 5 year-olds will take place in our vaccination centres. School-age children will continue to receive their flu vaccine at school.

 

What are the arrangements for the pneumococcal vaccine?

A catch-up campaign has been running to invite people over 65 and who have not previously received their pneumococcal vaccine and those aged 16 to 64 at-risk. People were allocated an appointment and drop-in clinics were arranged for those who couldn’t make their original appointment.

 

For those who become newly eligible for the pneumococcal vaccine over the coming months, the plan is to run clinics in January / February 2023. GPs will continue to code clinical conditions and extracts from Albasoft will identify these patients and they will receive an appointment. After this, people who are newly identified as at-risk will be picked up on a rolling monthly basis.

 

The vaccination service’s capacity for delivering pneumococcal over the Autumn will be limited due to covid-19 and seasonal flu vaccination programmes. Patients who are identified as urgently needing the pneumococcal vaccine can still be referred to the service using the referral form above.

 

What are the plans for the shingles vaccine?

Plans are being progressed to start delivering the shingles vaccine in mid-August. This will be for people aged 70 and 71 and for those aged 79 and over whose eligibility is about to expire or who haven’t previously received it. People will receive a letter with details of their appointment and alternative arrangements if it is not suitable.

 

Due to the nature of the shingles vaccine, staff administering it will require access to individual patient records. This will be done through Vision Anywhere and has been agreed with the GP Sub-committee group which oversees the data sharing agreement.

 

What are the arrangements for ad hoc vaccinations?

The service for providing vaccinations not covered by routine programmes has been set up at the vaccination centre at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Centre in Motherwell and provides weekly clinics.

 

As the current number of ad hoc vaccinations is small this service has been consolidated into the one centre – staff may wish to advise patients that they will have to travel to this service. It is planned to roll out this service to all other centres once it is established.

 

If patients need to receive a home visit for their vaccination, the Outreach Team can arrange this. Please refer patients in the usual way, using the referral form above.

 

What are the arrangements for travel vaccinations?

Since 1 April 2022 vaccinations needed for travel (excluding the covid-19 vaccine) have been provided by certain community pharmacies.

 

There are currently seven local community pharmacies providing this service, with other pharmacies awaiting training.

 

Some GP practices may have received requests from community pharmacies for a patient’s past vaccination history, in line with Scottish Government guidance, and we are grateful to practices for providing printouts.

 

It has been clarified with pharmacies that this should only be requested in exceptional circumstances. We are looking into the information governance implications of community pharmacies having direct access to clinical records.

 

Local information and details of participating pharmacies are available at www.nhslanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk/services/travel-vaccinations/

 

Referrals from NHS 24

There have been a number of inappropriate referrals from NHS 24 to local GP practices about tetanus injuries. NHS 24 has been advised that GPs in Lanarkshire do not provide a minor injury service and that patients should be directed to their local Emergency Department (ED) for assessment of their injury and any subsequent vaccinations.

 

The local clinics for ad hoc vaccinations run weekly, so are not suitable for immediate vaccinations. The ED will offer immediate vaccinations to those who require it and will then refer patients to the vaccination service for follow-up vaccinations to ensure the course is completed.

 

This process also applies to anyone with a needle stick injury – they should attend the ED for a risk assessment and treatment.



 
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