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Community pharmacies in England administered more than 4 million flu vaccinations during the 2024/2025 flu season — the highest number administered outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA).
In the analysis of NHS Business Services Authority data, published on 17 June 2025, the CCA looked at pharmacy flu vaccinations data between 2016/2017 and 2024/2025.
Its analysis showed that pharmacies had administered the highest number of flu vaccinations outside of the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 flu seasons.
The data also showed that pharmacies administered 10% more flu vaccines in the 2024/2025 flu season compared with the 2023/2024 season.
Of the 4 million vaccines delivered in community pharmacies in England, 11% were administered in the most deprived areas, compared with 9% in the least deprived areas, the analysis concluded.
As a result, the CCA is calling on NHS England to “deliver a wide range of NHS vaccinations — including pneumonia, shingles, meningitis and routine childhood vaccinations”.
“Taken together, this would free up 10 million GP vaccination appointments each year, allowing GPs to focus on delivering care to patients with more complex care needs,” it said.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the CCA, said: “The success of last winter’s flu vaccine programme shows that community pharmacy is a strong partner to the NHS. The recent regional commissioning of pharmacies to deliver RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] and pertussis vaccines shows that health systems are beginning to take advantage of the opportunity.
“But with growing demand on NHS services and variability in uptake, there is a need to move faster and further.”
“Commissioning all adult vaccines from community pharmacy is the logical next step,” he added.
The analysis follows a report by the CCA, published in February 2025 on behalf of the Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group, which calls for pharmacies to be used in efforts to address declining vaccination rates.
Commenting on flu vaccinations data, Elen Jones, interim director of pharmacy at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “Pharmacists are trusted, accessible healthcare professionals at the heart of their communities. Expanding pharmacy-led vaccination services could help improve uptake, tackle health inequalities and reduce pressure on GPs by freeing up appointments.
“For this to be successful, pharmacy teams must have the right support in place, including appropriate funding, training and access to robust digital infrastructure. Consistent and sustainable commissioning across the country will also be key to delivering joined-up, person-centred care.”
A spokesperson for NHS England said: “Vaccination is one of the best ways to boost public health, so we want to make it as easy as possible for people to get the vaccines they need.
“Pharmacists play a role in delivering multiple vaccination programmes at times and places that are convenient for patients, which is why they are such a crucial part of NHS England’s vaccination strategy.”
UK Health Security Agency data, shared with The Pharmaceutical Journal in May 2025, showed that the proportion of flu vaccines administered to patients aged over 65 years in community pharmacies in England has increased by almost 20 percentage points over the past five years.
Community pharmacies began offering RSV vaccines in September 2024, as part of a pathfinder service involving 50 pharmacies.
In April 2025, the Department for Health and Social Care said it would commission a further 200 community pharmacies to provide RSV vaccines in 2025/2026.
In March 2025, NHS England began seeking to commission community pharmacies to provide whooping cough vaccinations, under an enhanced RSV and pertussis vaccination service.
