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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, according to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Data shared with The Pharmaceutical Journal on 27 May 2025 revealed that in 2024/2025, 28.1% of flu vaccines were administered to patients aged over 65 years via pharmacies compared with 8.3% in 2019/2020.
The data also show a year-on-year increase in the total proportion of flu vaccines administered — aside from in 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 — when the figure remained the same at 25.2% (see Table).
The proportion of vaccines administered to at-risk patients aged 6 months to 65 years in community pharmacies has also increased — from 11.4% in 2019/2020 to 26.7% in 2024/2025 — the data show.
Figures published by the UKHSA on 22 May 2025 also highlighted that during winter 2024, the flu vaccine is estimated to have prevented around 96,000–120,200 hospitalisations in England.
“High flu vaccine uptake was seen once again in those aged 65 [years] and over (74.9%) — just fractionally short of the World Health Organization 75% target,” the UKHSA said.
It also noted “record uptake rates among secondary school children (44.6%) — the highest since the secondary schools’ programme was introduced in years 7 to 11”.
The secondary school flu vaccination programme began in 2021/2022.
However, the data show a decline in uptake among certain cohorts when compared with pre-pandemic levels.
The cohorts include two-year-olds and three-year-olds at 41.7% and 43.5% in 2024/2025, respectively, compared with 43.4% and 44.2% in 2019/2020; primary school children at 54.5% in 2024/2025 compared with pre-pandemic at 60.4%; and people with long-term health conditions or who are immunosuppressed at 40.0% in 2024/2025 compared with 44.9% in 2019/2020.
Commenting on the data on flu vaccines administered in pharmacies, Alastair Buxton, director of NHS services at Community Pharmacy England (CPE), said: “Every year pharmacy teams put a huge amount of effort into providing NHS flu vaccinations and these statistics show the brilliant work they have done.
“In recent years, pharmacies have seen a significant increase in demand for vaccination against flu. This is likely to have been due to the COVID-19 pandemic raising public awareness of the dangers of respiratory illness and wider concerns around the pressures on and lack of access to the healthcare system in winter.
“With community pharmacies identified as the most easily accessible healthcare location last winter, the public are continuing to rely on them. But pharmacy teams are also operating under huge pressures, making their ability to continue to vaccinate millions of people against flu each year truly impressive.”
Claire Anderson, president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “It’s great to see more people choosing to get their flu vaccinations in pharmacies, especially among over 65s and at-risk groups. This shows the vital role pharmacists play in protecting the public’s health.
“Pharmacies are accessible, trusted and convenient, helping to improve vaccine uptake in communities across the country. It’s vital pharmacy teams get the support they need to maximise vaccine uptake and in turn reduce pressure on the NHS.”
Data provided by pharmacies to CPE show that, as of the end of December 2024, more than 4 million flu vaccines had been provided in pharmacies since the beginning of the winter 2024/2025 flu vaccination programme on 1 September 2024.
Figures for the rest of the flu season are not yet available.
In March 2025, Amanda Pritchard, then chief executive of NHS England, described community pharmacy as a “key opportunity” to increase flu vaccine uptake among children and young people.
