Question reference: S5W-34215
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 23 December 2020
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what level of vaccine wastage was recorded for the (a) flu and (b) HPV programmes in each of the last two years.
Answer
The Scottish Government procures sufficient vaccine to vaccinate all those who are invited to receive the seasonal flu vaccine, in line with uptake planning assumptions. For the adult flu programme, vaccines are procured nationally and as part of the contractual agreement, the Scottish Government receives an end of season credit for the unused vaccine, therefore would not constitute as wastage.
The HPV vaccine is procured centrally and the stock is managed through NHS Board Vaccine Holding Centres. The vaccines are procured in a manner that minimises wastage by placing orders regularly and only holding sufficient stock for programme requirements each month. Holding Centres work closely with school immunisation teams to ensure the correct amount of HPV vaccine is delivered to schools for each setting.