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The Government is facing growing calls to utilise all of Yorkshire’s 1,055 community pharmacies to accelerate the delivery of the coronavirus vaccine, as the Health Secretary promised every adult in the country would have the jab by the autumn.

Matt Hancock set the ambitious target yesterday as he said it was likely vaccines would need to be delivered yearly, much like the flu jab.

But pharmacists across the region and the country were left puzzled as to why their expertise had not yet been tapped in to.

Daniel Brash, a community pharmacist and co-director of Mitchells Pharmacy in Horsforth, said: “From my perspective we are quite used to giving vaccines, we have been doing quite a lot of flu jabs and when it was not Covid times we did a lot of travel vaccinations. We are quite experienced in giving vaccinations and I would be interested in ramping it up to administer the Covid vaccine.”

Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines are laid out to be administered at a mass vaccination hub at the Centre For Life in Newcastle. Photo: PA

He said: “Our customers are asking all the time, all the time. They are asking lots of questions and asking us ‘if you get some will you please let us know’.”

Mr Hancock has said he was confident of the involvement of 200 pharmacy sites in the jabs programme, which could be expanded further depending on how the rollout progresses.

One of the first pharmacy sites will be Boots in Halifax, with another store in Huddersfield being among the first 200 also.

But Dr Leyla Hannbeck, pharmacist and chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said more could be done to utilise the country’s 11,500 local pharmacies.

Pharmacist Daniel Brash checking their supply of flu vaccines at Mitchell's Chemist in Horsforth, Leeds. Photo: Gary Longbottom

She said: “We want to ensure that at this moment of national crisis the Government does not ignore what is a national institution of health experts, right under our noses and accessible without an appointment.

“We want to ensure the Government capitalises on this accessibility, convenience and experience pharmacists provide by offering an open door policy to patients to use the pharmacy of their choice. We ask the Government to engage with us. We want to help – let us.”

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While Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth added: “Community pharmacies are integral to local communities and trusted by patients. They have years of experience in delivering flu vaccines and must be a key regiment in the vaccinator army we need.

“I urge ministers to fully mobilise the skills and expertise of community pharmacy to get Britain vaccinated.”

Hull East Labour MP Karl Turner backed the campaign launched by this newspaper today, and said his local pharmacist wanted to know why the Government was “shunning an army of experienced pharmacy technicians”.

Mr Turner said: “Between the end of September 2020 and December 2020 more than 20m flu vaccines were given between GPs surgeries and community pharmacies. Although it would be difficult to do as many of the Pfizer vaccines because of the freezer storage requirement it would be possible for those community pharmacies to help greatly with the Oxford vaccine.

“The UK was the first country to get the approval to use the vaccine and so we should be the first country to be fully vaccinated. Community pharmacies have an army of fully trained technicians and their community pharmacies are already Covid secure.

A key worker waits in the post vaccine observation area after receiving the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination hub at the Centre For Life in Newcastle. Photo: PA

“They can get these out fast and safely. The Government needs to get a grip, use our trusted community pharmacies and get Britain vaccinated.”

Mr Hancock told the Health and Social Care Committee last week he is “confident” of 200 pharmacy sites being involved in the rollout, adding: “We’ll keep working with community pharmacy to see whether we can expand that and to see how the rollout goes and which of the different types of sites are more effective.”

He said there is a “particular role” for community pharmacy in what he said needs to be a “universal rollout”.

He told MPs: “We need to make sure we get to all communities, and community pharmacies precisely, as you said, are highly engaged in their local community, often more local than any other healthcare setting.

“And therefore, we will be able to support getting right into the communities that we need to reach.”

He added: “There’s a big role for community pharmacy, especially in making sure that we reach all parts with this vaccination rollout.”

The Government is aiming to offer inoculations to almost 14m vulnerable people in the UK by mid-February.

More than half a million over-80s are due to receive invites this week to jet a jab at one of seven new regional centres in England.

'We want to help - let us' - Community pharmacists call for bigger role in vaccine drive as Health Secretary promises jabs for all adults by autumn