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The Government has rejected plans to remove control of the ordering
system for the annual flu vaccine campaign from General Practitioners
(GPs). In November 2005, the Department of Health (DoH) launched
an independent review of the flu vaccine ordering process, published
in March last year. The review followed severe delays in the delivery
of 2005's winter flu vaccine supply, caused by production problems.
The Department recommended that, instead of letting GPs negotiate
discounted prices for flu vaccines, the DoH should agree on a flat
price with negotiators. Profits made by the DoH were to be put into
an incentive system which would reward GPs for taking part in the
flu vaccine scheme. However, ministers have decided against the
plans, fearing that denying GPs profits would cause a revolt. A
senior Government advisor told Pulse that the DoH had finally conceded
that the fight would be 'one battle too far…It was felt within
the Department that, given how lucrative negotiating reduced prices
and delivering the vaccine in clinics is, to take that away from
them was not worth fighting for'.
Source: Pulse, 1 May 2008
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