Run smooth flu clinics this season
Flu season is the busiest time of year for most practices and pharmacies. Plan your stock early, set up every clinic room the same way, and keep your vaccines safe from delivery to injection.
The short answer
- Order clinic consumables early, ideally 6 to 8 weeks before your first clinic, so you’re not chasing stock in October.
- Check your fridge space before vaccine deliveries arrive. Don’t overfill: air needs to circulate around the stock.
- Set up a standard kit for every clinic room, so any clinician can pick up and go.
- Check emergency kit and training: anaphylaxis kit complete and in date, and staff training up to date.
Your flu season timeline
Plan and order
Confirm vaccine orders and delivery dates, book clinic rooms and order consumables.
Deliveries and first clinics
Receive vaccines straight into the fridge, record temperatures and start clinics.
Peak clinics
Top up consumables weekly, keep housebound visits on track and watch fridge capacity.
Mop up and review
Run catch-up clinics, return or dispose of stock safely and note what to change next year.
Flu clinic kit list
| Item | Why you need it | Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Safety needles | For any injections that aren’t supplied with a needle fitted. | Shop |
| Syringes | For any vaccines or medicines that aren’t pre-filled. | Shop |
| Plasters | Patients expect one, and you’ll get through hundreds. | Shop |
| Gauze swabs | For any bleeding after the injection. | Shop |
| Sharps bins | A bin in every clinic room, plus small bins for home visits. | Shop |
| Hand sanitiser | For hand hygiene between every patient. | Shop |
| Gloves | Where your local policy requires them. | Shop |
| Couch roll | For couches in rooms used for clinics. | Shop |
| Vaccine carriers | For housebound visits and offsite clinics. | Shop |
| Data loggers | To record temperatures in carriers and as a fridge backup. | Shop |
| Clinical waste bags | For used dressings and other clinical waste. | Shop |
Keep your vaccines safe
Record every day
Check and record the minimum, maximum and current temperature at least once each working day.
Use a proper carrier
Take vaccines out in a medical cool box or carrier, with a data logger, and follow the carrier’s instructions for ice packs.
Take out only what you need
Keep vaccines in the fridge until you need them, rather than leaving a full box out on the desk.
Free download: Our flu clinic preparation checklist covers stock, rooms, staff and paperwork in one page. You’ll also find a vaccine fridge temperature log and a cold chain breach guide.
Ready to order?
Common questions
How much stock should we order?
Work from the number of patients you plan to vaccinate, plus a margin for spoilt items. If you send us your expected numbers, we can help you build an order.
Can you deliver to more than one site?
Yes. Tell us where each order needs to go when you place it, and we’ll arrange delivery.
Do you supply flu vaccines?
Speak to our team about vaccine availability. We supply everything else you need to run your clinics, from needles and plasters to fridges and carriers.
Keep reading
Get ahead of the busy season
Send us your list and we’ll quote it in one go. Call 020 3301 6500 or email help@medical-supermarket.com.
