Shingles, a painful and often debilitating condition, remains a significant public health concern, particularly among older adults and those with weakened immune systems. While the UK vaccination programme has dramatically reduced the incidence of shingles and its complications, there is still much work to be done to protect vulnerable populations. We have now reached the […]
As the importance of vaccinations continues to grow, especially in the wake of increasing awareness around respiratory viruses, questions often arise about who is legally and practically able to administer vaccines. One VERY common question at the moment is whether healthcare assistants (HCAs, also know as Healthcare Support Workers or HCSWs) can administer the RSV […]
As healthcare professionals, safeguarding public health is at the heart of what we do, especially when it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases like influenza. The NHS Flu Vaccination Programme is a critical initiative designed to protect the most vulnerable populations through targeted vaccination efforts. Prioritising clinical risk groups for vaccination is essential […]
Not another vaccine, you say? Yes, and here’s why: The UK is set to introduce and roll out a new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine — and for all the right reasons. As the first country in the world to have a national programme using the same vaccine to protect both its youngest and oldest […]
Before you ask, no, we haven’t gone back in time…it’s still 2024 and despite it being the middle of the summer, we are in fact, fast approaching the flu season! The NHS England has now confirmed the start dates for the 2024/25 flu vaccine programme with two main risk groups prioritised for the initial rollout; […]
No-one likes injecting children and it’s always a challenge making sure they have adequate information that they and their caregivers understand. Children present in a wide range of maturity levels, and consequently with a wide range of needs and tolerances. Injecting moving targets is never easy. And to make it even harder, once they get […]
Health Care Support Workers (HCSWs) play a crucial role in the delivery of the flu vaccination campaign every year. In the second part of our blog series Get Prepped for Flu– we will look at the immunisation and flu training requirements for HCSWs in relation to the National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Immunisation […]
Patient group directions (PGDs) have long been a valuable tool for streamlining medication access in the UK healthcare system. Traditionally, their use has been reserved for pharmacists and other registered healthcare professionals, however as of 26th June 2024, their application has been expanded to allow registered pharmacy technicians to supply and administer prescription-only-medications (POM) under […]
In light of a recent change to the national flu immunisation programme, we have updated our flu courses for this coming flu season including our ‘Seasonal Influenza 2024/25’ e-learning course as well as our face-to-face flu workshops and our live-via-zoom flu update sessions. This is to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped with the latest […]
On 24th February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014. This triggered Europe’s most significant refugee crisis since World War II. Poland, a neighbouring country to Ukraine, has become a primary destination for Ukrainian refugees seeking safety and shelter. In the initial three days of the Russian invasion, a […]
