Extraordinary Newsletter 07/10/26

– LATEST NEWS –

Digital Immunisation Content

Digital Consent Templates for Vaccination Programmes
Our Director of Nursing and Medical Director have worked collaboratively to develop a suite of digital consent templates for use within Accurx for Flu, Covid19, Childhood Flu, Shingles and RSV (adults, not pregnant).
 

These templates are provided as a resource only. Practices are responsible for reviewing the content, ensuring it meets local requirements and governance arrangements, and determining whether it is appropriate for their patient population. Practices are welcome to adapt the templates as required. Any digital consent process should be supported by a local policy or practice protocol.
 

Key considerations

• Consent is a process, not a one-off event. Patients should have the opportunity to ask questions or request further discussion before making a decision.
• Patients should be provided with information about the risks and benefits of vaccination to support informed consent.
• Digital consent may not be suitable for all patients, including those with limited digital literacy, language barriers, low literacy, capacity concerns, or those requiring information in accessible formats.
• Alternative methods of obtaining consent should remain available where appropriate.

Prescriber responsibilities
Where vaccines are administered under a Patient Specific Direction (PSD), prescribers should have visibility of the recorded consent and be satisfied that:

• the patient has received appropriate information and can make an informed decision
• consent is informed and voluntary
• the patient is eligible for vaccination
• there are no contraindications or precautions to vaccination

The assessment of suitability and consent process should be completed before the PSD is signed. Prescribers remain professionally and legally accountable for the prescribing decision and the delegation of vaccine administration.

A note on implied consent
We are aware that some practices are sending vaccine information via Accurx and advising that attendance for vaccination will be taken as consent. We would not advocate this approach. Attendance alone does not provide clear evidence that a patient has read, understood and considered the risks and benefits of vaccination. A documented consent response provides a more robust record of informed consent and supports the prescriber in making an informed prescribing decision before signing a PSD.

Accurx Links for Digital Consent Templates
Children’s flu: https://web.accurx.com/import/bybthvauus
Adult flu:https://web.accurx.com/import/sdvuyjn8cq
RSV: https://web.accurx.com/import/x8mtfb7c66
COVID: https://web.accurx.com/import/59ktrvuszr
Shingles: https://web.accurx.com/import/zh3g877ps8

The guide to processing vaccination consent responses in Accurx can be found here

Importing the templates
The process for importing questionnaires is straightforward. Guidance is available here:
https://support.accurx.com/en/articles/768546-custom-questionnaires-how-to-share-questionnaires-with-your-colleagues
We hope these templates support practices in developing safe, effective and patient-centred digital consent processes.

Further information
Further Information regarding assessment and consent for immunisation under a PSD can be found here

A summary of the legal mechanisms for vaccine administration and the principle of delegation can be found here

We also host a range of immunisation resources on our website Immunisations information & resources – Avon LMC. If you have any questions relating to digital consent, please contact info@almc.co.uk