Family doctors have written to Sir Chris Whitty raising concerns about next winter.
The BMA said some GP surgeries will not sign up to give jabs next winter (Image: Getty)
Health officials have been warned that GPs may pull out of providing flu vaccinations next winter because of rising costs. Family doctors have written to England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, to express concern about the “static” pay given to GPs offering the service.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said some GP practices have already said that they do not intend to sign up for the flu programme next winter. Dr Julius Parker, deputy chairman of the union’s GP committee for England, said: “We are already hearing from practices across the country that they do not intend to sign up for next year’s flu programme and consequently are not planning on ordering vaccine stock.
The BMA said the issue needs to be addressed because the first orders for next winter’s flu programme need to be placed soon.
It said payments for flu services were last uplifted in 2018/19, leading to a real-term decline in funding for GP practices.
Dr Parker added: “We believe that we are reaching the point that many practices may feel that participation in the annual flu programme is no longer a financially viable option.”
He said the union “is concerned that any action to correct the current situation will only come once practices actively start to pull out of the programme”.
Dr Parker warned that some practices which continue to offer flu vaccinations may be forced to make “difficult financial choices” about other things such as staffing and the availability of other services due to the funding shortfall.
He added: “We believe that safeguarding and increasing uptake for these programmes should be a priority for the Government and the NHS, especially in light of the risks we’ve seen in recent years from infectious diseases alongside falling rates of vaccination.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP contract to £13.4 billion in 2025-26 — the biggest cash increase in over a decade.
“After years of decline, we are rebuilding general practice — recruiting an extra 2,000 GPs and giving GPs more time to spend caring for patients.
“GPs and their teams play a vital role in delivering vaccinations to their communities and we are grateful for their continued efforts. We will continue to work closely with the profession to ensure patients can access the vaccines they need.”
An NHS England spokesperson said: “While GPs are benefiting from higher fees for vaccinating children, and will receive another increase for next autumn and winter’s Covid programme, the NHS will keep funding under review to ensure it delivers for patients, taxpayers and providers.”
