GP practices across Greater Manchester were paid almost £1.2m for giving the swine flu jab, we can reveal today. Surgeries were paid £5.25 for every patient they vaccinated.
The programme was ordered by the government after it predicted up to 65,000 people could die from the H1N1 virus.
About 14m people nationwide were offered jabs – but only 457 deaths were linked to the swine flu outbreak. Now figures obtained by the M.E.N. show £1,178,313 was paid to doctors’ surgeries across the region for taking part in the vaccination programme following the outbreak last September.
Surgeries in Manchester got the highest amount, with £262,006 paid out to 95 different doctors’ practices.
NHS Stockport paid out £168,000, while £154,889 was paid to surgeries by health bosses in Wigan. Salford spent £122,000, while Trafford paid out £120,503. NHS Oldham paid £100,254 and Tameside PCT spent £117,237.
The PCTs charged with looking after Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale and Bury spent comparatively less, with totals of £67,053 and £66,370 respectively. NHS Bolton declined to supply figures for the amount it spent on swine flu vaccinations.
The Department of Health defended the figures, saying the response to the pandemic had been ‘proportionate’.
A spokesman also stressed that the decision to pay doctors for giving the vaccine was made under a Labour government.
Matthew Elliott, from the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "The government should have taken a wait-and-see view.
"It was much too risk-averse."
GPs said the money was spent contacting patients, administering the vaccine and taking on extra staff. The British Medical Association – which represents rank-and-file GPs – had initially demanded £7 per shot but the lower figure was agreed after a wrangle with ministers.
The vaccine was brought in after a worldwide pandemic of the H1N1 virus was declared.
It was offered to people in target groups including pregnant women and health workers.
An independent review led by Dame Deirdre Hine, a former chief medical officer for Wales, said Britain handled the pandemic well, but there were key lessons for the future.
The review recommended any new vaccine contract should have a get-out clause to protect taxpayers’ money. In total, the outbreak is believed to have cost the British economy £1.2bn – around £1bn was spent on pharmaceuticals including the antiviral drug Tamiflu, the vaccine, and antibiotics.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "An independent review of the UK response to the swine flu outbreak has concluded that the preparations for a pandemic were soundly based in terms of value for money and the response to swine flu was proportionate and effective.
"The department welcomed the review, but it is vital that we learn lessons. The government will take the recommendations from this report into consideration in planning for the future to ensure that we remain one of the best prepared countries in the world for any future pandemics."
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No win situation.
Bet they don't bleat about the cost of replacing Trident.
This is typical of the greed of our GP's.
While hospitals continue to be starved of funds and staff, these self serving individuals who can never be found out of normal office hours, demand payment for every little extra they are asked to do. What a contrast with hospital staff who are expected to deal with everything that turns up at their door whatever time it is and who work hours of unpaid overtime each week.
God help us when this lot get their hands on the purse strings.
Sentationalist reporting at it's best. The headline figure makes this sound huge.. as evidenced by the responses already received commenting on greed.
Break the figures down properly and then have a think about them.
The highest figure was paid to surgeries in Manchester. £262,006 to 95 practices. That's a grand total of about £2750 per surgery. Hardly an enormous amount is it?!
I say sack the bumbling box-ticking pen-pushing bureaucrats!
Shouldn't the headline have read "SWINE FLU JAB DOCTORS PAID £5.25"?
If we think about the running costs including staff of the average surgery, I think £5.25 is a fairly good deal. I reckon most men are paying eight quid these days for a five minute haircut!
What a scam swine flu turned out to be...
Who's idea was it to insert the word "only" when refering to the number of deaths and are there any figures to indicate how many may have been saved by the vaccine?
I currently work for the NHS and I am surprised to not see more articles on the money that is spent on unnecessary illnesses i.e. obesity in children and even worse, consanguineous patients (those born to parents who are first cousins). The latter is a subject which is in dire need of being addressed. Children who are born to first cousins often have a long list of complications leading to extensive genetic testing, of which some of these tests cost up to £2000 per patient (a great deal more than the sum surgeries are demanding for the swine flu jab!)
What a croc Swine flu was, a total waste of tax payers money and if this headline is right its still on going.
[quote name=Ralphmilneshead]This is typical of the greed of our GPs.[/quote]
This is a typical uninformed assessment based on the poor journalism used to sensationalise the actual story.
Firstly, GPs are a business people nowadays; paid by the PCT to provide healthcare to people in their area. And everything has a price ... appointments, prescriptions, tests, minor operations, referrals, etc.
Yes, these figures seem a lot at first, but you have to look at what the practice had to do to get one person to accept the vaccine. The number of phone calls, follow- ups, clinics set up, practice nurse hours, admin hours, etc all had a price. Yes, it was £5:25 per vaccine injected, but the Practice was not paid for the hard work done if a person wasn't injected.
The actual profits to the Practice per injection given was far less than the figure quoted.
"The latter is a subject which is in dire need of being addressed. Children who are born to first cousins often have a long list of complications leading to extensive genetic testing, of which some of these tests cost up to £2000 per patient (a great deal more than the sum surgeries are demanding for the swine flu jab!)"
But what do we say to the child, sorry you can't have these tests because your parents are weirdos
Was it just coincidence that the Swine Flu hysteria was hyped up by the government at the time of the MP's expenses scandal? Or am I just being cynical?
"Salford spent £122,000"
Thats a bargain as it cost less than salfords chief exec at £200k pa and it is definately more effective with a result that can be seen.
£5.25 vaccine may or may not have saved lives, you will never know but would you like to be responsible for the deaths of thousands just for this paltry amount.
when will people realise this was a scam from the medical companies
swine flu vaccine now been added to yearly flu jab.not openly telling people its in there .orsen wells 1984 all over again.why not keep it seperate and make your own choice
yearly flu jab has now been mixed with swine flu vaccine,avian flu vaccine.what the hell do they think they are doing.they are not even telling the public whats in it.big brother strikes again.hope your not a vegetarian or vegan they use feotal stem cells human albumin ,animal organ tissue,and blood.if you doubt me go to:www.vaccination.inoz.com
I have just been given seasonal flu jab and afterwards, when I said I didn't want H1N1 jab, I was told this years seasonal flu jab contained H1N1!!!!!! I registered complaint with medical centre (reminding them that I had refused this jab last year and wanted nothing to do with it!) Also spoke to someone from Public Health in Glasgow who tells me that this is in every year!! I asked why after 24 hours I have horrendous after symptoms - coincidence I was told! Also asked why we are not being informed through media adverts and posters in surgeries what the vaccine contains in order for us to make our own informed choice, I was told it was up to the doctor to tell each patient - talk about passing the buck! I am in one of the high risk groups, and as of today, will not be taking any more flu jabs - I will take my chances rather than becoming a guinea pig for the pharma. companies and lining my gp's pockets! It was only a pandemic because they had a sell by date on the vaccines - if it was truly a pandemic, EVERYONE would have had the vaccine free. Also, why did the vaccine have to be given to 10 people at a time? THE ANSWER - MONEY!!!