Flu patients could receive treatment all year round as the government vows to cut red tape that has been preventing doctors and pharmacists from providing certain medications outside of peak flu season. This move will alter prescribing regulations alongside the NHS’s enhanced flu vaccine programme.
Currently, doctors and pharmacists are prohibited from prescribing certain flu medications outside of flu season, a period defined by an annual letter of confirmation from the Chief Medical Officer. Outside of this time, GPs had to be commissioned via a patient-specific direction to prescribe certain medicines. They could still prescribe other medications, but items like seltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®) were restricted outside of the flu season.
These antivirals are recommended for specific settings like care homes and for those at highest risk of severe disease outside of the normal flu season. It requires a confirmatory test showing they do have the flu first.
This can lead to delays in treatment while also adding some layers of bureaucracy to the health service. Flu season is usually allocated as between October and March with very few cases being reported outside of these months.
The government has pledged to remove these rules so that doctors and pharmacists are able to actively treat flu cases year round. It’s hoped that treating cases earlier will also ease the strain on the NHS in the winter season during peak flu outbreaks.
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock declared: “Flu can strike all year round, so it doesn’t make sense to restrict doctors and pharmacists from taking action to protect the most vulnerable in their communities. That’s why, as well as starting the flu vaccination programme today, we are also removing the need for clinicians to have to ask for permission to prescribe what their patients need.
“It is exactly the type of change we wanted to see when we launched the red tape challenge to bulldoze bureaucracy and prioritise patients over paperwork.”
Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant epidemiologist for immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, explained: “While the majority of influenza cases and outbreaks occur during the flu season, we do continue to see outbreaks outside the peak period.
“These changes will allow primary care providers and health protection teams to respond more rapidly with effective treatment to reduce the risk of severe disease and the spread of infection at any time of year.”
The latest development follows the launch of the revamped and enhanced vaccine programme this month.
The initiative aims to simplify access to free jabs for eligible individuals, with certain school providers now delivering vaccines in nursery environments for two to three year olds.