A study by Boots UK and the University of Nottingham has revealed the profile of people utilising the community pharmacy flu vaccination service, after more than a quarter of a million private flu vaccinations were administered in England and Wales.

The study shows that pharmacy flu vaccinations were highly accessed by patients from all socio demographic areas and were particularly common with carers, frontline healthcare workers and those of working age. The timing of accessing the vaccinations shows that this is likely to be due to the convenience and accessibility of pharmacies.

Pharmacists were requested to ask patients who received a flu vaccine between October 2014 and March 2015 to complete a questionnaire and a sample of data was also captured electronically on vaccine delivery levels across 1,201 pharmacies.

Marc Donovan, chief pharmacist at Boots UK commented: “This latest research not only demonstrates that community pharmacy flu vaccination services complement those provided by GPs but also that there is a real opportunity for pharmacists to further support vaccination services, particularly in helping to protect those patients who are in at risk groups from infections.”

Rob Darracott chief executive at Pharmacy Voice added: “Community pharmacy now plays a vital role in supporting the flu vaccination programme. It is fantastic to see from this paper that so many at-risk people are being helped by this service, particularly helping busy healthcare professionals and carers who appear to appreciate the convenience of extended hours and no appointment necessary that pharmacies such as Boots UK offer.”