Two of the swine flu centres opened to cope with the pandemic are to close this week after demand for the service fell. The Department of Health say that the decision was made after infection rates fell back quickly.
The two centres scheduled to close are in Watford and Farnborough.
1,200 posts will go but the spokesperson from the Department of Health said that as the service was flexible it could be scaled back up if infection rates rose. They have warned that they expect a second wave of infection in Autumn as the schools start their new term and in Winter, the traditional flu season.
The swine flu centres opened to take the strain of GPs and NHS staff when they were swamped with cases and patients afraid that they might have contracted the strain of Influenza. The staff in the centres, some of which remain open, are able to authorise prescriptions of the anti-viral Tamiflu, which designated ‘flu friends’ can pick up for the patient.
The service is run by NHS Professionals and a private company, Teleperformance. NHS Professionals said the move was due to “much lower than expected call volumes”.
This week the WHO gave the advice that healthy patients whose illness was uncomplicated did not need to be prescribed anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu. There has been growing controversy about the prescription of Tamiflu in the UK, especially regarding its being given to children.