Pharmacies Facing Angry Patients Over Covid Jab Confusion

Pharmacists successful England opportunity they are facing "major issues" pinch ample numbers of patients booking appointments for Covid jabs only to find they are nary longer eligible.

The criteria has been tightened this twelvemonth truthful that only those aged 75 and older are being offered free boosters, on pinch younger patients who person a weakened immune system.

Between a 3rd and a half of group who move up for their assignment are having to beryllium turned distant astatine galore sites, according to Community Pharmacy England (CPE), which represents much than 10,000 chemists including galore awesome chains.

It has described nan business arsenic "unacceptable" pinch reports of angry, disappointment patients and maltreatment aimed astatine staff.

CPE head of NHS services Alastair Buxton said it had go clear wrong an hr of nan NHS website booking system going unrecorded past week that location was a problem.

He said tons of group appeared to beryllium missing nan accusation astir eligibility connected nan booking strategy and making nan presumption they were still eligible.

But erstwhile they move up for their vaccinations pharmacies are only capable to springiness them nan flu jab.

"That evidently takes a batch of explaining to patients. It causes upset, interest and possibly anger for immoderate patients.

"We've surely had examples of immoderate patients becoming abusive pinch drugstore squad members."

Henry Gregg, caput of nan National Pharmacy Association, which represents independent pharmacists, says nan rumor has been raised pinch NHS England and nan government.

"This should person been avoidable and it is profoundly frustrating for some pharmacies and patients. We impulse immoderate diligent successful this business to dainty drugstore teams pinch respect arsenic pharmacies effort and negociate nan caller NHS objective criteria."

Pharmacists said much should person been done to make group alert of nan changes - fixed nan flu and Covid vaccine programmes mostly over-lapped past year.

In consequence to nan problems, NHS England said nan wording connected nan website had been changed to make it clearer nan eligibility criteria had been tightened.

A spokeswoman added: "Please double cheque you are still eligible to person a Covid vaccine earlier booking – nan NHS website sets retired whether your age, wellness information aliases medicine intends you are eligible, and your GP believe aliases pharmacist will corroborate this earlier giving you nan vaccine."

Paul Williamson, aged 71, from Doncaster, is 1 of those who has only conscionable discovered he is nary longer eligible for nan Covid booster.

He did realise erstwhile he logged connected to nan booking tract and told Your Voice, Your BBC News he was shocked to find retired nan criteria had changed.

"I'm disappointed. It feels for illustration a cost-cutting exercise."

As an older person, he said he would do everything imaginable to protect himself and truthful would now see paying for it privately.

Covid vaccines are disposable privately astatine precocious thoroughfare pharmacists and costs astir £100 per person.

The changes to eligibility were made connected nan proposal of a group of independent experts called nan Joint Committee connected Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

It recommended that eligibility for nan Covid autumn booster should beryllium changed from 2025.

Last twelvemonth nan jab was offered for free to anyone 65 years aged and complete and those pinch a agelong database of chronic aliases semipermanent conditions.

That's now been changed pinch nan property limit raised to each those who move 75 earlier March 2026, positive residents successful attraction homes for older adults and group classed arsenic immunosuppressed.

That includes those undergoing immoderate crab curen and transplant patients, on pinch those surviving pinch HIV and immoderate familial disorders.

But it intends galore group pinch conditions specified arsenic diabetes, bosom disease, respiratory illneses, asthma and terrible intelligence unwellness will nary longer qualify.

In addition, pregnant women and frontline wellness and societal attraction workers will not beryllium offered nan autumn jab for free this autumn.

The JCVI said Covid was now a "relatively mild illness for astir people", pinch rates of hospitalisation and decease having "reduced significantly".

It said focusing connected nan oldest adults and individuals whose immune systems are compromised, arsenic nan 2 groups who proceed to beryllium astatine higher risk, was based connected "a modular cost-effectiveness assessment, successful statement pinch different regular vaccinations".