The number of people admitted to hospital in Scotland with the flu reached its highest level on record at the end of last month as pharmacies in the country struggle to get hold of vaccines.

The surge in hospital admissions yesterday prompted Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) to call on the government to involve community pharmacy in planning for the national flu vaccination strategy at an earlier stage having warned pharmacies in some areas are running short of supplies for their private flu service as demand increases.

Demand for private pharmacy flu services has risen largely because of the government’s decision to exclude 50 to 64-year-olds, teachers and prison staff from the 2024-25 flu vaccination programme.

Hospital admissions in Scotland increased by 12 per cent in the week ending December 29, with 1,537 people taken to hospital compared with 1,375 during the previous week, according to figures by Public Health Scotland (PHS).

The prevalence of “laboratory-confirmed influenza” reached 52.6 per 100,000 of the population that week.

CPS’s head of policy and development Adam Osprey said: “Pharmacies each year place their orders well in advance of the flu season, so actually around about February time, so these guys will already be thinking about what they will need for next year.

“(But) sometimes, the policy decisions for who is eligible for an NHS flu vaccine happens much later in the year. Typically for 2024, we were looking at September.”

PHS said outbreaks of flu occurred at a “substantial number of well-vaccinated” care homes but insisted “only a small number of deaths have been reported” so far.

Health secretary Neil Gray warned the NHS in Scotland “continues to face significant winter pressures, including cases of influenza A which remain very high.”