Electronic notifications service for vaccinations being launched

An NHS Digital service which enables information about flu vaccinations to be sent electronically from pharmacies to GP practices has been rolled out by two system suppliers.

So far, more than 30,000 electronic messages carrying flu vaccine information have been sent during this winter’s flu season so far, saving time for GP practices and pharmacies, helping to improve data quality and reducing the possibility of errors.

Information is more up to date because it can be received by GP systems and added to the patient’s medical record as soon as the notification is received from the pharmacy. This prevents patients who have already had a flu vaccine from being contacted unnecessarily and could be used to identify those in at-risk groups who haven’t had their vaccine.

In October, a successful pilot of the initiative took place in Leeds involving 113 community pharmacies using PharmOutcomes and 83 GP practices using SystmOne. During the two-week pilot, 2,500 messages were electronically transferred, before the service was expanded across England for pharmacies and GPs using PharmOutcomes and SystmOne over the following two months. Other suppliers will start their roll out later this year, following similar pilot schemes.

Vishen Ramkisson, a GP and senior clinical lead at NHS Digital, said: “This is a valuable enhancement which helps ensure the information in patients’ medical records is comprehensive and up to date. Services which make it easier for health professionals to share critical information, such as about whether a vaccination has been given, enable them to provide the best care possible to patients.”