NHS Digital has expanded its service to send information about flu vaccinations electronically from pharmacies to GP practices.
It launched the service last year for those using the PHarmOutcomes and TPP SystmOne systems, and has now extended it to Sonar and EMIS Web.
This is expected to increase the number of flu vaccinations notifications transmitted electronically this winter, during which an increasing number of people are being offered the vaccine.
The information is uploaded immediately from a community pharmacy’s clinical system via the Message Exchange for Social Care and Health (MESH) – and sent direct to the GP practice, where it is received as a workflow task, which is consistent with the other forms of communication that a practice receives.
GPs will still also receive the full details of the vaccination in a PDF document and can add any additional information to the patient record manually as appropriate.
NHS Digital said that, because details can be added to a patient’s medical record as soon as a notification is received, information will be more up to date. This will help to prevent unnecessary contacts of people who have already been vaccinated.
Solving problem
Dr Simon Eccles, chief clinical information officer and deputy chief executive of NHSX, said: “This is an excellent example of how to solve a national problem by building on existing technology.
"This change will greatly improve care for patients by ensuring their family doctor and team are kept informed of their flu vaccinations."
The content of the electronic notification is based on the pharmacy information flows data standard developed in partnership with the Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB).
Image by Zalgmylg CC BY 2.0
