When she spoke to the Scottish Parliament early in November, Ms Sturgeon said that there would be a ‘nationally co-ordinated approach’ to distributing the vaccine.
‘There will,’ she said, ‘be a number of places and premises, including local premises like pharmacies, across the country that will be part of that programme.’
While the amount of money that pharmacies in Scotland will receive for each course of the vaccine has now been agreed by the Scottish Government and CPS, the government was adamant in its circular that community pharmacies would not be the ‘default’ option for delivery of the vaccine. In addition to requirements such as social distancing and the need to follow ‘infection prevention and control practices’, community pharmacies would, according to the circular, not be the ‘default delivery channel' for COVID- 19 vaccination.
Since the vaccination programme is to be handled and administered by Scotland’s fourteen Health Boards, however, some individual Health Boards may commission
community pharmacies to join local vaccination programmes.
Matt Barclay, director of operations at Community Pharmacy Scotland, isn’t so sure that pharmacies will be directly involved in the vaccination programme, but rather that the pharmacists will help out at dedicated healthcare hubs.
‘While it is welcome news that MHRA has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use – and that other vaccinations will soon be seeking approval - it is simply not practical for the Pfizer vaccine to be administered in community pharmacies,’ he told SP.
‘The challenges presented by the Pfizer jab, for example – the fact that it has to be stored at -70° and carries transportation difficulties – mean that there will be a limited number of sites at which it can be administered.
‘For that reason I believe that pharmacy premises will not be involved initially in the programme and that most COVID-19
vaccinations will probably take place at dedicated ‘hubs’.
‘Having said that, our pharmacy workforce is extremely experienced in carrying out vaccinations and so I think they may be asked to support the programme by delivering the vaccine at these hubs rather than contemplating carrying them out in pharmacies.
‘If, however, some Health Boards deem community pharmacies necessary, then I'm sure some members will step up if they can.'
Clare Morrison, Royal Pharmaceutical Society Director for Scotland, also sounded a note of caution.
‘Pharmacists have the skills to administer COVID-19 vaccinations and have delivered on many effective flu vaccination programmes in the past,’ she told SP. ‘It is now vitally important that we have assurances from governments and the NHS that the engagement of the pharmacy profession in the vaccination programme will not overwhelm the workforce but will allow for effective local collaboration with other health professionals in distributing this important vaccine to the general public.
‘While we await the rigorous analysis of the vaccine trial data and the authorisation from the MHRA for COVID-19 vaccines, steps are being taken to understand the logistical arrangements for the vaccine programme. This includes clearly defining the role of pharmacists in the vaccination programme and understanding the implications for the pharmacy workforce with teams already stretched to capacity. It also includes understanding the training requirements for pharmacists and ensuring access to training so they have the right information to deliver these services.
‘The safety of pharmacists, their teams and patients must be paramount and must be assured through sustaining COVID-safe environments. Access to priority vaccination is essential for front line pharmacy staff in community, primary care and hospitals. The provision of appropriate levels of personal protective equipment to cope with demand must also continue.’
Fee structure
The Scottish Government agreed payment structure with Community Pharmacy Scotland. It was agreed that payments should be made for participation in the COVID-19 vaccination programme on Item of Service basis:
• A flat rate of £12.58 will be paid per dose totalling £25.16 per course. It is not necessary for pharmacies to provide both doses of a course to receive payment
Due to the nature of the vaccine and some of the proposed local delivery routes, payment for the provision of 3.5-hour sessions for vaccinations are
• Consent Management and Vaccination fee of £231 (applies to independent contractors)
• Consent Management, Vaccination and Enhanced Leadership (£231 plus a local rate depending on the extent of the Enhanced Leadership required, as well as local market conditions)
New clinical trial launched for
early treatment of COVID-19 A potential treatment for COVID-19, which has shown early promise in China and Japan, will be trialled in NHSGGC. Glasgow is the first area in Scotland to have access to the drug, which can be taken at home when patients are in the early stages of disease as well as by hospitalised patients.
Over 300 eligible patients with COVID-19 will be invited to join the new research study into the effectiveness of the antiviral drug, favipiravir.
The trial will target early treatment of the virus for those who test positive and must be taken within four days of a COVID-19 swab test. This treatment is intended for people with milder symptoms.
The ground-breaking research is a collaboration between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the University of Glasgow, funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government.
The study, Glasgow Early Treatment Arm Favipiravir (GETAFIx), will assess the effectiveness of the drug to help with symptoms and reduce the time it takes to recover from COVID-19.
Favipiravir has been developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemicals in Japan and an early study on its effectiveness has shown it to alleviate some symptoms.
Three hospitals are taking part including queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Royal Alexandra Hospital. Patients may receive treatment in hospital or as outpatients.
The antiviral treatment is taken in tablet form. Half the patients involved will receive the drug twice a day for ten days alongside standard treatment, with the other half receiving standard treatment for comparison.
The study is organised by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit in Glasgow and supported by the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility.
‘COVID-19 was a disease few of us had even heard of before the spring,’ said Professor Rob Jones, Director of the CRUK Clinical Trials Unit, Glasgow, and Chief Investigator of the study. ‘Although hopes are high that ongoing vaccine trials will help prevent infection, this trial aims to improve current treatment for those unlucky enough to contract it. With the GETAFIx trial, we will be rapidly looking at whether this antiviral treatment may help kill off the virus in those affected and prevent more serious complications.’
SCOTTISH PHARMACIST - 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
