2:00pm Thursday 24th December 2009
By Joanna Codd
SEVERAL GP surgeries in Bournemouth and Poole have begun vaccinating children under five against swine flu, while doctors in the rest of Dorset will be starting in the New Year.
Primary care trusts were asked to put local plans in place for delivering the programme after national negotiations with GPs broke down. NHS Dorset said more than two thirds of its GPs had agreed to take part in the programme within 24 hours of being asked.
NHS Bournemouth and Poole said all its practices had signed up to take part. Some had started vaccinating, while most had begun contacting patients ready to vaccinate them after the Christmas holidays.
Youngsters between six months and five years have been identified as the next priority group for the vaccine because they are more likely to end up in hospital if they catch swine flu. They have high admission rates to critical care, and there have been some deaths in the age group.
Nikki Osborne, NHS Dorset’s deputy director of commissioning for primary care, said: “We are delighted that so many GPs agreed so quickly to take part. This is a testament to the excellent standard of general practice in Dorset and the good relationships between the practices, NHS Dorset and the Local Medical Committee, which has been extremely supportive.”
Parents will receive a letter inviting them to have their child vaccinated. If they are registered with a Dorset GP who has not signed up to the agreement, the primary care trust will make other arrangements for them.
The under-fives vaccination programme will bring an extra workload at an already busy time, when increased numbers of patients are suffering from winter viruses.
“We would ask people to bear this in mind when they are deciding whether they need to see their GP or whether they could get the health advice they need elsewhere,” said Nikki.
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