Swine Flu

[shan]

Because dispensary staff see patients so much more often than a healthcare assistant working in FRONT of them.

Well Nik, I dont know where you work, but at the place I work and many places I have seen it is the counter staff who comes in contact with the patient or any customer entering the shop before even a Pharmacist/ dispensary staff talks to them. The idea is that if the dispensary staff go ill including the Pharmacist, then it may lead to closure of the Pharmacy or delay in providing services/ slow down the dispensing process. These are only postulates and no clarification is given yet. As a dispensary manager I got a call from the PCT enquiring the names of Pharmacists & staff working within the dispensary. They were not interested in knowing about the MC staff.
I hope they extend the scheme to the entire Pharmacy staff.

Shan

[Nik]

Well Nik, I dont know where you work, but at the place I work and many places I have seen it is the counter staff who comes in contact with the patient or any customer entering the shop before even a Pharmacist/ dispensary staff talks to them.

I hope they extend the scheme to the entire Pharmacy staff.

Shan

Yeah this is what i was getting at. Patient with symptoms of flu comes in => passes on to MCA or other counter staff => passes on to dispensary staff => eventually reaching pharmacist. It seems as though everyone except MCA's should get the vaccine for free and MCA's can wander around spreading the flu to other patients, family members, etc. It is often counter staff who deal with difficult customers, so why should they be seen as not part of the "pharmacy staff" ?

[dizzyb23]

I checked with our HO and Lloyds in our areas are NOT offering the vaccine for free. If you want it, you can go to your nearest branch of Lloyds that are offering the vacc to customers for £12.00 (I think that's the price) and get it done with our massive 20% staff discount.......
Are other Lloyds areas offering it for free to their staff??? If they are, would someone mind sending me a copy of the email/staff notice saying this so I can take this further???
Ta v much

[felix2]

is it possible to be vaccinated if one already has symptoms of a flu (not a swine one, just a regular flu) ?

[Pharmanaut]

is it possible to be vaccinated if one already has symptoms of a flu (not a swine one, just a regular flu) ?

Tricky question.
Without a serological test how do you know which flu it is?

[hibernia]

is it possible to be vaccinated if one already has symptoms of a flu (not a swine one, just a regular flu) ?

Had the vaccine recently (in Republic of Ireland). Nurse asked and I had to sign that I didn't have a high temperature in the previous 24 hours. They will give it if you just have ruuny nose, sneezing, etc. but not if your temp is up.

Hope this helps.