Pharmacists hit out at plan to scale back free flu jabs in England

[Northerner]

Pharmacists have criticised as “shortsighted” the government’s decision to cut the number of people in England who get a free winter flu jab, especially with Covid-19 still circulating.

Ministers have decided that people aged 50-64 and schoolchildren aged 11-15 will not be eligible to receive the vaccine on the NHS next winter as part of the new “living with Covid” strategy. The change means millions of people will have to pay for the jab privately.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is scaling back eligibility, which was widened significantly after the pandemic struck in 2020 to help reduce the death toll from Covid.

Evidence showed that people who caught Covid and flu at the same time were twice as likely to die as those who only contracted the virus.

“It’s shortsighted to cut back on this sensible public health measure, given that no one can say for certain that we’ll be through the Covid pandemic by next winter”, said Nick Kaye, the vice-chair of the National Pharmacy Association.

Pharmacists hit out at plan to scale back free flu jabs in England

Decision by ministers to cut number of people eligible for free winter flu jabs criticised as ‘shortsighted’

www.theguardian.com

 

[Lily123]

Logic seems that not giving these groups the flu jabs that they are putting even more pressure on the NHS

 

[nonethewiser]

Those millions of people potentially wont bother getting jab then, see this adding more strain on nhs.

 

[Amity Island]

So 1,2,3,4,5,6.......jabs for covid and no jabs for flu?

 

[mikeyB]

This is purely a financial decision, without a single thought of how this might cause further strain on the NHS. It's the same thinking as persisting as the only country in the UK that persists in its people paying for prescriptions. It's no surprise when the government only thinks in terms of saving money now, without thinking of the consequences.

 

[Northerner]

This is purely a financial decision, without a single thought of how this might cause further strain on the NHS. It's the same thinking as persisting as the only country in the UK that persists in its people paying for prescriptions. It's no surprise when the government only thinks in terms of saving money now, without thinking of the consequences.

Every single policy going forward will be a misguided attempt to 'save' money by the current Chancellor, he has shown that he will not pay out for anything - he is an enormously rich man with no comprehension of how to operate a budget and an ideological zeal to protect the rich from extra taxation

 

[Deleted member 21371]

Ah, but, the way forward is to tell everyone they can pay less.
Less taxes, less outgoings, and it's all the fault of someone else when that doesn't happen.
We voted for this government.
We have a democracy.

 

[mikeyB]

Ah, but, the way forward is to tell everyone they can pay less.
Less taxes, less outgoings, and it's all the fault of someone else when that doesn't happen.
We voted for this government.
We have a democracy.

Well, I for one, didn’t vote for this government, and with the English system of voting, it isn’t a democracy. Now we’ll need photo ID to be able to vote. F*** that, I haven’t got any, along with about a million or more others. Democracy? Aye, right.