Bill Fraser from North Tees and Hartlepool Trust asks:

What are people doing with regard to influenza vaccine for over 65 workers?

The recommendation is that they are given the aduvanted trivalent vaccine (aTIV) rather than the quadrivalent vaccine (QIV) recommended for other adults. So far so good (though I do wonder how closely the subgroup of over 65s still at work compare with the groups on which the recommendation was made). However I can see the potential for this reducing uptake of vaccine. We depend on peer vaccinators to deliver a large proportion of the vaccine doses to staff. I do not think it will be possible to supply the peer vaccinators with doses of trivalent aduvant vaccine, so they will have to tell the over 65s either to come to the Occupational Health Department or to see their GP and I fear that a number will not do so. Another worry is that in a recent update on immunisation the view was expressed that if over 65s received QIV it should be treated as a drug error and a Datix report completed. (What the flu plan says is 'The patient should be offered reassurance, the local Screening and Immunisation team should be informed and systems reviewed to prevent this happening again'.)

My worry is that the thought of being involved in a drug error will dissuade people from carrying on as peer vaccinators, further reducing the update. What is everyone doing? Datix or not?

Please respond direct to william.fraser@nth.nhs.uk and cc to admin@nhshealthatwork.co.uk.

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