NEWS

Stock up with Whittaker before Christmas

12 December 2018

Whittaker Office Solutions Christmas and New Year Opening Hours:

• Last day to place orders with Whittaker before Christmas break is Thursday 20th December

• Last full delivery day service for 2018 (for orders placed on 20th December 2018) will be Friday 21st December.

• Closing for Christmas – Their office closes by 5.30pm on Friday 21st December 2018

• New Year – Their Office will reopen on Wednesday 2nd January 2019 with a full delivery service resuming Thursday 3rd January 2019.

Beat the Flu this season with the Blue Stream Academy Cold Chain Module Now Available!

30 November 2018

Do you have the correct knowledge on how flu vaccines should be stored and monitored? Biological substances like flu vaccines can lose their efficacy if not stored and kept at the right temperature and can be dangerous to patient health.

Blue Stream Academy have identified the need for practitioners to be aware of how to audit, store and monitor vaccines to avoid unnecessary dangers.

The module cover:

- receipt of vaccines
- storage of vaccines
- auditing and monitoring of stock
- transporting vaccines
- cold chain failure and incident reporting

If you would like to add this module to your staff members training profile or are interested in using any other e-learning module in Blue Streams’s GP suite, email us and we’ll facilitate this for you.

Seasonal Flu Vaccines 2019-20 Update

20 November 2018

Public Health England (PHE) has issued a joint letter with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to provide guidance to GP practices on ordering flu vaccines for the 2019/20 season.

This follows a review of the latest evidence on influenza vaccines conducted by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the body that advises UK health departments on immunisation, and the issuing of advice on the most effective vaccines for the 2019/20 flu season.

The joint letter advises that both of the vaccines that were recommended for the 2018/19 season (quadrivalent inactivated vaccine and adjuvanted trivalent inactivated vaccine) will continue to be recommended for next year. Both vaccines are currently licensed and available to order for use in the UK.

As in the 2018/19 season, standard trivalent vaccines (TIVe, previously known as TIV) are not to be used in any age or clinical at-risk group.

PHE also anticipate that two further products will be licensed within the ordering window for the 2019/20 flu season: a cell-based QIV, which will be suitable for use both in those aged 18 to 64 years and in those aged 65 years and over; and a high dose trivalent vaccine (TIV-HD) which will be suitable for those aged 65 years and over. Once licences are granted and list prices of the new vaccines have been agreed, NHS England will write to practices confirming the full recommendations for the 2019/20 flu programme.

For more information about the discounts available to members on the ATIV and QIVe vaccines, please visit the Flu Vaccines page.

Seasonal Flu Vaccines Update

06 November 2018

Following on from our recent mailout about the seasonal flu vaccine offers for 2019-20, we have received some updated information about the Mylan vaccines.

Their Generic QIV and Influvac QIV have now been licensed for use in children aged 3-17 years. If you would like more information about this development, please contact Mylan on 0800 358 7468 or by email.

In relation to the current season, we understand that some practices might be struggling to get older patients vaccinated due to the phased delivery of the adjuvanted trivalent vaccine.

Sanofi offer a free of charge Flu Reminder Service as a means by which practices can reach out to patients effectively at short notice. More details about the service can be found here and you can register your practice here.

The Buying Group will continue to send updates as and when we receive any new information about the 2019-20 season.

Blue Stream Academy Launch New Cancer Awareness

25 October 2018

Blue Stream Academy have marked Breast cancer awareness month with a new cancer awareness module to help raise awareness and reduce the stigma through education on symptoms and treatment.

There are more than 200 different types of cancer that affect 1 in 2 people within the UK in their lifetime. With a multitude of different symptoms that cancer creates, early detection signs help reduce the number of lives it takes.

Information found within their new module covers:

- the nature of cancer
- prevention and early detection
- staging and investigations
- cancer and treatments.

As with all Blue Stream Academy modules, this training has been RCGP accredited and CPD certified to help you reach your outstanding CQC rating!

If you wish to add this module to your staff members training profiles, get in touch by sending an email with your practice details.

Seasonal Flu Vaccine Offers 2019-20

25 October 2018

The Buying Group will be working with all four remaining vaccine companies for the 2019-20 season: MASTA, Mylan, Sanofi and Seqirus.

The offers are available to view on the Flu Vaccines page once you login. If you don’t have login details you can register and we will send you some.

Information about the policy change that affected this flu season can be found in the Community section