BRITAIN'S National Health Service (NHS) is moving to resolve an issue preventing pharmacist immunisers from signing up to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
The move came after a number of pharmacists reported that they were unable to register to join the NHS England's team of COVID-19 vaccinators, as the application form did not list pharmacists among those eligible to apply.
An NHS spokesperson told Chemist and Druggist, that the issue had been caused by a system error, which has since been fixed.
"Community pharmacists will soon be playing an important role in local vaccination services, alongside the tens of thousands of others who have trained to deliver this vital protection," the spokesperson said.
"We are delighted that current and former pharmacy colleagues are keen to play a role too, as vaccine supplies increase."
However, the application form has not been the only barrier preventing pharmacists from participating in the UK's vaccine rollout, with Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee Chief, Simon Dukes, telling The Daily Telegraph that offers to help had been met with "a de facto silence" from the Government.
"Rather than scrabbling around trying to find retired GPs and nurses and anyone who has possibly dated skills, you've got an army of thousands of pharmacists up and down the country who administer the flu jab every winter," he said.
"We've been telling the NHS that we're ready, willing and desperate to help."
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