Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 30 October (HL Deb, col 1152), whether they will publish the tariff of fees paid to pharmacists for providing vaccinations in retail and community settings.

Community pharmacy contractors are paid £9.14 per vaccination to immunise patients against seasonal flu. General practitioner contractors are paid £9.80 per vaccination to immunise patients against seasonal flu. Both are reimbursed for the cost of the vaccine administered.

The differential is because GPs are required to call and recall eligible patients from their practice list for the vaccination. Community pharmacy cannot do this as they do not have a practice list.

Information on the payment arrangements for community pharmacy delivered flu vaccination for 2017/18 is contained in the Service Specification, Community pharmacy seasonal influenza advanced service. This was published by NHS England in August 2017. A copy is attached.