Dr Clare Gerada, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, was quoted as saying earlier this week that due to shortages being created, pharmacists should not be allowed to vaccinate healthy people against flu.

There has been a shortage of the H1N1 vaccine, which also protects against other two strains and her comments followed when stockpiles of swine flu vaccine from 2009 were distributed by the Department of Health.

Dr Gerada's comment was hit back by pharmacists who said that GPs were actually responsible for under-ordering vaccines and the shortages were due to the `worried well'.

According to Sue Sharpe, chief executive of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, it was nothing wrong for people to protect themselves if they were not in the risk group.

She said, "Given that less than a year has passed since the last pandemic ended, and considering growing public awareness that we're in the midst of flu season, it is not difficult to see why large numbers of at-risk patients are now taking up the offer of the vaccine."

It was also stated that the problem was due to insufficient stocks within some GP surgeries.