Flu Vaccination Advanced Service
Please refer to the Community Pharmacy England (CPE) Flu Vaccination Hub here for the latest news and updates on the service.
2024/25 Service
Only a small number of amendments have been made to the service specification for the 2024/25 this season. The key changes are:
- The commencement date for the service will be 3rd October 2024 (except for pregnant women – see below).
- Use of second line vaccines should only be considered when every attempt to use first line recommended vaccines has been exhausted.
NHS England announced on 13 June 2024 that the start date for the 2024/25 flu vaccination campaign will be Thursday 3rd October 2024. This means that the following timings will apply to the commencement of the service for 24/25:
Read the NHS Flu Vaccination Service specification for 2024/25 here.
Read the Annual Flu letter for the 2024/25 season, which announces the delayed start to the main flu vaccination programme compared to previous years, here.
Key Documents for 2024/25
The annual flu vaccination programme letter for the 2024/25 season was published on 12th March 2024 – see here. The annual flu vaccination programme letter confirms the eligible cohorts for the forthcoming season and the vaccines which will be reimbursable. It is important that all contractors that provide the Flu Vaccination Service review the contents of this letter and use the information contained within to inform their ordering of flu vaccine.
On 12th June 2024, a statement of amendment to the Annual Flu letter was published following the news from Sanofi that recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVr) would not be available for the 2024/25 flu vaccination programme.
The amendments to the Annual Flu letter include a new flu vaccine which can be used for the first time – high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV-HD) – which is only licensed for those aged 60 years and over.
The service specification describes the requirements for provision of the service and is essential reading for all pharmacists providing the service.
The national PGD for 2024/25 provides the legal framework for administration of a flu vaccine, (by appropriately trained practitioners), under the 24/25 service. Pharmacy contractors providing the service must ensure that all pharmacists or pharmacy technicians providing the service have read and understood this latest version of the PGD, and have completed the practitioner declaration to confirm this, which should then also be signed off by the Authorising Manager. These steps MUST be completed before an individual practitioner is authorised to administer flu vaccines as part of the service.
The national protocol for inactivated influenza vaccine provides another legal mechanism for administration of flu vaccine under the service by an appropriately trained person (note; the protocol allows provision of flu vaccinations to people aged from 6 months to under 65 years in a clinical risk group, but the pharmacy service is only for eligible patients aged 18 years and older).
Recommended Vaccines for 2023/24
Originally, there was to be no change to the recommended vaccines that would be reimbursed for adults in the 2024/25 programme. However, on 12th June 2024, a statement of amendment to the Annual Flu letter was published following the news from Sanofi that recombinant quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVr) would not be available for the 2024/25 flu vaccination programme. The amendments to the Annual Flu letter include a new flu vaccine which can be used for the first time – high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV-HD) – which is only licensed for those aged 60 years and over.
Within the Annual Flu letter for the 2024/25 season, the advice regarding when second line vaccines can be used has been strengthened stating that use of second line vaccines should only be considered when every attempt to use first line recommended vaccines has been exhausted – evidence of this may be requested by NHS England before reimbursement is agreed.
Claiming Payment
All payments must be claimed monthly via the NHSBSA Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.
It is a requirement of the service specification that contractors use an NHS assured point of care system to record the administration of vaccinations (a paper-based record keeping system is not allowed for the service). This will be either be provided by NHS England, (PharmOutcomes in Yorkshire & Humber), or contractors can make their own arrangements for an NHS assured system of their choice.
The NHS-assured IT system used to make the clinical record for the service will also pre-populate claim information in the MYS portal so that the contractor just needs to login to MYS at the start of every month to confirm that the information is correct and then submit the claim.
Claims for payment should be submitted within one month of, and no later than three months from the claim period for the activity provided. Claims which relate to work completed more than three months after the claim period in question, will not be paid.
Briefing Documents and Resources
- Annual Flu Letter 2024/25 (published 12 March 2024)
- Statement of Amendment to the Annual Flu Letter 24/25 (published 12 June 2024)
- UKHSA Influenza Ovalbumin Content Tablet 24-25
- Patient Leaflet/Information – Flu Vaccination: Who Should Have It This Winter & Why (2023-24)
- Chapter 19 of the Immunisation Against Infectious Disease, “The Green Book”, can be downloaded here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/influenza-the-green-book-chapter-19.
Pharmacy Team Resources
Refer to the Community Pharmacy England Flu Vaccination Hub here for additional guidance and resources for pharmacy teams.
Service Delivery Resources – Promoting the Service to Patients
Refer to the Community Pharmacy England Flu Vaccination Hub here for service delivery resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Community Pharmacy England website is a great source of information and resources for pharmacy teams. This includes a useful Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers page which are updated on an ongoing basis:
Last Updated: 9th July 2024
