The
Minister of State, Department of Health (Gillian Merron): With the global spread of the swine flu virus, the
World Health Organization declared a pandemic on 11 June 2009. In response to increasing
pressures on front line National Health Service and social care services, the
National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) was activated on 23 July 2009. This was to provide a self-care service for
people to assess their symptoms and, if necessary, to access antiviral medicines
rapidly from antiviral collection points.
The
Department is today announcing the decision to stand down the NPFS with effect from
1am on 11 February 2010.
This is being done in response to
the steady reduction in the estimated number of swine flu cases in the
community, and is in line with our overall aim of ensuring the operational response is appropriate to the level of threat
posed by the virus. General practitioners and primary care trusts have
indicated that they can now manage the clinical caseload themselves. As we did with the launch of the NPFS, we are now standing
it down with the full support of the key professional bodies (the Royal College
of General Practitioners (RCGP) the British Medical Association (BMA) and
appropriate pharmacy organisations).
We will
continue to monitor the spread of the swine flu virus, and, should it become
necessary, the NPFS can be re-activated in seven days.
Anyone
who suspects they have swine flu from 11 February will be advised to contact
their doctor for assessment of their symptoms; the doctor will issue an
antiviral authorisation voucher if needed. For the time being, antivirals will continue
to be collected through antiviral collection points. People with swine flu should ask their flu
friend to collect their antivirals on their behalf. Antivirals
will continue to be issued to patients with swine flu symptoms, under this
system, free of charge until at least the end
March 2010, the end of the seasonal flu period.
Many
people have felt reassured by the fall in disease incidence, and the relatively
mild illness that has characterised most people’s infections. Deaths, however small relative to previous
pandemics, are tragedies for families and vaccination could help avoid
them. The current vaccination programme
is continuing and we must remain vigilant.
We have therefore asked GPs to make further contact with people in the
priority groups who are at higher risk from the disease and who have not yet
had the vaccine. These include individuals aged over six months and in the
seasonal at-risk groups; pregnant women; those who live with immunocompromised
individuals; and children aged over six months and under five years and
eligible front line health and social care workers. Good progress has been made
in delivery of the vaccination programme to date but we must not be
complacent. It is important that people
in these groups continue to receive the vaccine as it offers the best
protection against the virus.
I would
like to record my thanks to all those involved in setting up and running the
NPFS. It has broken new ground in
healthcare delivery and has played an important role in our response to the
swine flu pandemic. With the support of
the RCGP the BMA, and the pharmacy organisations the NPFS has been very
successful in easing pressure on primary care services during the busiest times
of the pandemic, allowing GPs to focus on those most ill and ensuring high
volumes of people get access to antiviral medicines, when they need them.
ENDS
Notes to Editors: This is not a press release from NHS Southampton City. The original release is by Department of Health.
For more information please contact Matthew Butler on 02380 296 930.
