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Community pharmacies in England provided 15% more flu vaccinations during the 2025/2026 flu season, compared with the previous year, NHS data show.
Figures published by NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) on 18 June 2026 show that as of 31 March 2026, community pharmacies claimed for delivering 4,680,891 flu vaccines under the Adult Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Service, which began in September 2025. This is up from 4,066,585 vaccinations in the previous season.
The final figure for 2025/2026 may be higher, as the NHS BSA figures are based on fees claimed for by pharmacies, which can be claimed up to three months after the dispensed month.
Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at Community Pharmacy England, said: “Every year community pharmacy teams excel themselves in delivering NHS flu vaccinations, and the 2025/2026 season was no exception.
“With such a strong track-record in making sure vaccinations get to the people who need them most, it is no surprise that the NHS and government are now commissioning community pharmacies to help with other vaccination programmes such as childhood flu and MenB. We support this direction of travel, which is in line with our calls for the sector to become a hub for the provision of all NHS vaccinations.”
The data also revealed that the Midlands region delivered the highest number of vaccines through community pharmacy, at 863,703.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), commented: “The latest figures demonstrate further evidence of the sector’s growing and impressive track record for delivering NHS vaccination programmes. Increasingly, community pharmacy is being viewed by the public as the natural destination for receiving vaccinations.”
Harrison added that the community pharmacy sector “has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to deliver high-quality vaccination services safely, effectively and at scale”.
“This is particularly important in more deprived areas, where pharmacy’s greater presence can support underserved communities. By supporting uptake among traditionally harder to reach populations, pharmacies can help improve vaccine coverage and tackle health inequalities,” he said.
“These figures should give commissioners confidence to continue expanding the commissioning of vaccination through community pharmacy. The successes provide clear evidence that community pharmacy can play an ever-greater role in vaccination services.”
In total, NHS England data for the 2025/2026 season show that 18,994,638 NHS flu vaccines were delivered by providers across the NHS, including those from GPs, whereas just under half (47.7%) of frontline healthcare workers received the vaccine.
