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National Pandemic Flu Service Announcement
David Nicholson, the NHS Chief Executive, has written a letter to all NHS colleagues including community pharmacies following up from the announcement of 2nd July 2009, when the NHS changed the method of pandemic flu management from containment to treatment. A National Pandemic Flu Service will be set up, and with effect from the end of next week, patients in England will use the service to access swine flu advice and treatment.
The full communication follows:
Dear colleague,
A (H1N1) Swine Influenza: Standing up the National Pandemic Flu Service
I wrote to you on 2 July to explain our decision to move to a treatment phase in the management of the current swine flu pandemic.
In recognition of the increasing levels of flu consultations with GPs and the need to be able to give antivirals to increasing numbers of people quickly, Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham has today agreed to stand up the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) in England, with effect from the end of next week. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not yet need to use the National Pandemic Flu Service. This situation is being kept under constant review and they will be able to opt into the Service as and when needed.
It is anticipated that this will relieve some of the current pressures on the system - particularly in primary care and A&E and ensure that GPs can focus their efforts on treating patients with more serious symptoms, with all other patients being treated well and promptly by the NPFS.
From the end of next week, people in England will access swine flu advice and treatment through this Service. People diagnosed with swine flu will be given an authorisation code that a ‘flu friend’ - a friend or relative who does not have swine flu - can use to pick up antivirals from a local Antiviral Collection Point (ACP). It remains the case that those people identified as being at greater risk of serious complications should keep in touch with their GP. Until the end of next week the existing arrangements for obtaining advice and information in England remain in place.
People in Scotland who are worried about flu-like symptoms should continue to contact their GP or NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24.
In Wales, if symptoms are causing concern, or people are in an at risk group such as those with heart and lung disease, children under 5 or pregnant women, they should phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or phone their GP.
People in Northern Ireland who are worried about flu-like symptoms should stay at home and continue to contact their GP or the Northern Ireland helpline on 0800 0514 142 which operates daily from 8am-8pm.
Every PCT will now be revisiting their existing ACP network plan to ensure that it matches the current and projected spread of the disease locally to support the launch of the NPFS at the end of next week. PCTs will need to ensure that they are maintaining regular communication with GPs to help maintain public confidence in the response to the pandemic and ensure consistency between the national messages and those messages delivered by GPs.
You will shortly begin to see nationally placed advertising to promote the NPFS and this material will be made available for local use by NHS communications leads to help ensure this consistency of message. I will update you again with details of how to access the NPFS before the end of next week. As ever, I would welcome your support in ensuring that the NHS receives clear and consistent messages about their roles and responsibilities in relation to this.
Revised planning assumptions have also been published today. These assumptions are revised, reasonable worst case scenarios for planning purposes based on what we have learned from the virus so far. They are not predictions of how we expect the virus to behave. They support effective planning for every eventuality which the public would expect us to be doing at this time. I expect that every organisation will now review their own plan in light of these new assumptions. You can find the planning assumptions on the Department’s website.
I want to also remind you that today, the Health Protection Agency published their second weekly data briefing summarising the numbers of swine flu cases, hospitalisations and deaths. This information can be found each week on their website - www.hpa.org.uk.
As I outlined on 2 July, the Department of Health has signed contracts to purchase sufficient vaccine to vaccinate the entire population with the first deliveries arriving in August, and at least 60 million doses are expected by the end of the year. Decisions are still to be made about who will be prioritised to receive the first doses of the vaccine, but it remains the case that I anticipate that frontline staff will be considered alongside other high priority groups in order to protect them, their families and their patients.
I do understand that until the National Pandemic Flu Service is launched, that some parts of the NHS have been experiencing and will continue to experience some localised pressure, as a result of the numbers of people seeking advice and treatment for swine flu. I am very grateful for the NHS' continued hard work in response to the early stages of the pandemic - and I would also like to thank you for your continued support, which has not only helped to manage staff expectations and pressures, but has also helped us to address media interest and public concern in a measured and consistent way.
Yours sincerely,
David Nicholson
NHS Chief Executive
Posted 17 July 2009