David Gee / Alamy Stock Photo
Under a new NHS England advanced service, community pharmacies in England will be able to provide flu vaccinations to children aged two to three years from 1 October 2025, according to Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
On 23 July 2025, CPE confirmed that most eligible children will be vaccinated with live attenuated influenza vaccine nasal sprays, supplied from centrally procured NHS stock.
As part of a trial commissioned for the 2025/2026 winter season, the NHS England initiative allows pharmacies to opt in and expand their role in delivering childhood vaccinations.
Pharmacy contractors will receive £9.58 per vaccination administered, which will come from NHS vaccination budgets, not from the ‘Community pharmacy contractual framework’ global sum, CPE said.
Pharmacy owners can sign up to the service via the NHS Business Service Authority’s MYS portal from 1 August 2025 and must sign up by 31 August 2025 in order to begin the service on 1 October 2025.
Those who register after 31 August 2025 will receive stocks of the vaccine later than the start of October 2025, CPE added.
Community pharmacies have been commissioned to provide the service in order to improve uptake of the flu vaccine among children who are too young to be offered it at school and currently can generally only access it through their GP surgery.
In 2024, GP surgeries vaccinated just over 40% of the 1.2 million eligible children in this cohort, according to figures shared by CPE.
Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services at CPE, said the service had been agreed “as a trial for one season”.
“We are confident that pharmacy teams will be able to increase vaccination rates by providing a convenient and accessible service to parents and their eligible children,” he said.
Buxton added that community pharmacy owners should “reflect on the size of the eligible cohort of children before they decide to opt to provide the service”.
Tase Oputu, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board, stressed that “to ensure the success of this trial, it’s crucial pharmacists are given the support they need to deliver the vaccinations safely and effectively”.
“Pharmacists already play a vital role in delivering flu vaccinations to eligible adults, and expanding this service to include children aged two to three [years] will improve public health and support early protection against flu,” she said.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), said that the new service was “a vote of confidence for the role of community pharmacy in driving uptake and coverage of NHS vaccines, particularly amongst underserved communities”.
“We estimate that around 80% of pharmacies have a private vaccination service so pharmacy teams are well versed in administering a wide range of different vaccines. Vaccines are second only to clean water in preventing disease. All efforts to drive uptake are absolutely critical to delivering on the prevention agenda,” he added.
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), commented: “At a time when pharmacies remain under financial pressure, vaccinations are an essential revenue stream, and the IPA will continue to campaign to get more vaccinations delivered in pharmacies.”
Jonathan Blades, director of external affairs at charity Asthma + Lung UK, told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “We hope as many pharmacies as possible choose to provide the service. Delivering good year-round basic care in the community will help keep people well and out of hospital.
“Ensuring people are vaccinated against illnesses like flu is crucial for averting future winter crises in the NHS, which are largely driven by respiratory conditions.”
