Current status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what preparations it made to alert people aged 50 to 64, who are not included in a defined risk group, that they would not be eligible for the 2024-25 seasonal flu immunisation programme, to enable them to take up the option of paying for a vaccine at a local pharmacy while stocks were widely available, and what plans it has to review these preparations to inform the communication strategy for the programme in 2025-26.
Changes to the eligibility for flu vaccination were communicated via campaign materials produced by Public Health Scotland (PHS) that can be seen on NHS Inform and social media, as well as being advertised across health and community settings. The Health and Social Care sector were alerted to changes in eligibility via the Chief Medical Officer’s annual flu letter. I wrote to MSPs on 12 September 2024 to outline the changes to eligibility for flu and COVID-19 vaccination this winter, and the reason for those changes.
The Scottish Government is unaware of any shortages in vaccine availability. While NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) Procurement were made aware of some Community Pharmacies seemingly having issues securing flu vaccine stocks for private vaccination clinics, our national programme supplier confirmed that stock of the vaccine suitable for those under 65 years of age is available for purchase by pharmacies. Information has been shared with Community Pharmacy Scotland so they can signpost pharmacies to where they can purchase further supplies, so that they can meet any demand from citizens seeking vaccination.
PHS ran a targeted campaign, with multiple assets and toolkits that have been promoted widely across the health and social care system and the third sector, ensuring those who were eligible to come forward were notified. The campaign focussed especially on certain groups where uptake is lower.
The Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP), led by PHS, will review the winter vaccination campaign. As part of this we will consider the impact of the communications strategy and what we can improve for next season.