Fee for giving flu vaccine set at €15

PHARMACISTS ARE to be offered a fee of €15 by the Government to administer the seasonal flu vaccine on behalf of the HSE.

In a letter sent to the Irish Pharmacy Union yesterday, the Department of Health said that the fee would also cover pre-vaccination counselling of patients, any assistance required after the injection, and the maintenance of records and submission of necessary returns to the HSE.

Minister for Health James Reilly signalled in July that he intended to introduce changes that would allow pharmacists to administer the flu vaccine to patients from the autumn.

He estimated the move could save the State €5 million-€13 million a year and also lead to an increased uptake of the vaccine. The department suggested that the move would cause a reduction in hospital admissions.

The fee put forward for pharmacists by Dr Reilly is significantly lower than the payment made to GPs for providing this service.

GPs have been paid about €42 to administer the flu vaccine under an agreement with the State.

The department has sought submissions under the provisions of financial emergency legislation on fee levels to be paid for administering immunisation services including flu vaccination.

However, GPs have warned the Minister of a threat to patient safety and a reduction in the standard of care available to patients if he continued to erode their income.

The Irish College of General Practitioners said it recognised the financial challenges facing the Government.

However, it did not believe the “erosion of GP reimbursements through cherry-picking specific tasks without consideration of the overall medical service provided by general practitioners represents good value or optimal care services for patients”.