Collaboration

The General Practice enhanced service specification – seasonal influenza vaccination programme 2025/26 states:

5. Collaboration requirements: general

5.1. Each Practice participating in this ES will:

5.1.1. co-operate with others in so far as is reasonable, pursuant to this ES and/or the wider influenza vaccination programme, in a timely and effective manner;

5.1.2. comply with any reasonable request for information from the Commissioner relating to the provision of the services pursuant to this ES;

5.1.3. have regard to all relevant guidance published by the Commissioner or referenced within this ES;

5.1.4. comply with all clinical guidance giving explicit consideration to contra-indications and any guidance around concurrent administration of influenza vaccinations (e.g. pneumococcal, COVID-19, pertussis vaccinations);

5.1.5. take reasonable steps to provide information (supplementary to national communications) to Patients about the services pursuant to this ES, including information on how to access the services and any changes to them; and

5.1.6. where relevant, ensure that it has in place suitable arrangements to enable the lawful sharing of data to support the delivery of the services, business administration and analysis activities.

5.2 Practices will want to work closely with Primary Care Networks and PCN groupings to maximise vaccine coverage and to minimise vaccine wastage. This will also support the achievement of incentives within their respective vaccine coverage and to minimise vaccine wastage.

6. Collaboration requirements: influenza (only)

6.1 Practices may, under the terms of the ES and where relevant the Childhood ES, collaborate to deliver influenza vaccinations to their Patients in accordance with paragraph 6 and Annex B, as part of an Influenza Collaboration. All Practices which choose to collaborate as part of an Influenza Collaboration, where they are members of an established Primary Care Network or not, will be expected to sign up to an Influenza ES Vaccination Collaboration Agreement and shall:

6.1.1. have in place appropriate collaboration and governance arrangements and shall at all times comply with this ES;

6.1.2. together with the other Practices in the Influenza Collaboration, be considered a temporary single medical practice; and

6.1.3. receive, store, prepare and transport (where appropriate) vaccines following relevant medicines legislation and guidance issued by the MHRA or the Commissioner.

7. Collaboration requirements: PCN groupings

7.1 Practices may be a member of a PCN grouping to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations in accordance with the COVID-19 ES. Where a Practice is a member of a PCN grouping it may choose to work together with other Practices in that PCN grouping to deliver influenza vaccinations in accordance with this ES through co-administration with COVID-19 vaccinations or synergistically with COVID-19 vaccinations. Equally, they may now choose to work together with other practices just to deliver influenza vaccines as part of an Influenza Collaboration.

7.2 Where Practices choose to work together with the other Practices in the PCN grouping they shall:

7.2.1. have in place appropriate collaboration and governance arrangements and shall at all times comply with this ES;

7.2.2. together with the other Practices in the PCN grouping, be considered a temporary single medical practice;

7.2.3. receive, store, prepare and transport (where appropriate) vaccines following relevant medicines legislation and guidance issued by the MHRA or the Commissioner; and

7.2.4. where the Practices consider that it is operationally expedient to synergistically or co-administer the COVID-19 vaccine with the influenza vaccine, a COVID-19 ES Vaccination Collaboration Agreement must govern the arrangements between the practices. Otherwise, it must be the Influenza ES Vaccination Collaboration Agreement that governs the arrangements between the practices. Co-administration shall at all times be in line with the provisions set out in the Green Book.