Operational Guidance for Vaccination in Community Pharmacies
Operational Guidance is updated in response to any changes to National Immunisation Office clinical guidance, that impact on the day to day operations for vaccination services within the community sector.
It sets out direction in relation to the approach, logistical arrangements and processes established for continued vaccine roll out as well as links to all of the necessary clinical information.
Operational Guidance for Vaccination in Community Pharmacy mRNA Vaccines (PDF, size 946 KB, 23 pages)
COVID-19 Vaccination over Summer 2024
The COVID-19 seasonal booster programme will pause over the summer months. During the summer pause, the following groups will still be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination:
- Primary course vaccination for those aged 6 months and older
- Booster dose vaccination for pregnant women in the appropriate stage of pregnancy and where the appropriate time since last dose of vaccine has elapsed. Please refer to latest NIAC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: NIAC recommendations (rcpi.ie)
HSE Vaccination teams will offer continue COVID-19 vaccination for the following:
- for children aged under 12 years requiring primary course vaccination
Referral pathway for Housebound patients
HSE mobile vaccinations teams will administer COVID-19 and / or Flu vaccines to persons who are housebound, on referral from their GP, once they meet the housebound criteria. An individual is housebound if they are unable to leave their home at all, or if they require significant assistance to leave the house due to illness, frailty, surgery, disability, mental ill health, or nearing end of life (end of life individuals require a GP / specialist palliative care team referral). Individuals who are not able to attend their GP Practice, Community Pharmacy or HSE vaccination clinic for clinical reasons and for whom this difficulty with attendance cannot be resolved by providing transport, may be referred to this pathway by their GP.
Pharmacy finder
For the public to be able to find a local pharmacy where they can access vaccination, it is important to keep the HSE Pharmacy Finder web page up to date.
Pharmacists are reminded to update their details using the online form.
General Queries and Relationship management support
You can contact our Relationship management team by email at PharmacyVaccines@vision.com or phone 081 800 8811.
How to join the Vaccination Programme for COVID-19 and Influenza
To take part in the Vaccination programme, you will require the following:
- A Community Pharmacy contract with PCRS
- A National Cold Chain account
- Registered to use a HSE PharmaVax
Community Pharmacists see Community Pharmacy Contractor Agreement - HSE.ie
