COVID-19 Vaccination Service
Published on: 30th June 2022 | Updated on: 14th November 2024
This page provides information on the COVID-19 vaccination programme that pharmacies are taking part in.
The next phase of the vaccination programme will be the September 2024 to March 2026 campaigns.
Latest updates
Provision of C-19 vacs from April 2025
NHS England has opened the procurement process for pharmacies that wish to provide the COVID-19 vaccination service from April 2025. This process only applies to:
- Pharmacies not already contracted to provide the service and wishing to apply to provide it from April 2025; and
- Pharmacies already contracted to provide the service but whose contract only runs up until the end of March 2025.
Most pharmacies already providing the service are contracted until 31st March 2026; those pharmacies do not need to re-apply in order to continue to provide the service from April 2025, as their contract already covers provision until 31st March 2026.
Guidance documents and details on how pharmacy owners can submit a response, can be found on the NHS Business Services Authority’s webpage.
Pharmacy owners who plan to apply to provide the service should read the guidance (which outlines key deadlines and processes) and contractual agreements (which are available on the NHS England website) and submit their response document by the deadline.
The deadline for submissions is 11:59pm on 19th November 2024.
Click on the header below for more information.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, over 1,500 community pharmacy sites were involved in vaccinating patients and health and care workers under a Local Enhanced Service against coronavirus alongside vaccination centres, hospitals and Primary Care Network (PCN) sites.
In December 2020, the NHS commenced its COVID-19 vaccination programme. There were three types of vaccination site:
- Vaccination centres, using large-scale venues;
- Hospital hubs, using NHS Trusts across the country; and
- Local vaccination services, made up of sites led by general practice teams working together in primary care networks (PCN) and community pharmacy sites.
Through each of the previous phases of the vaccination programme, each NHS region, working with their integrated care systems (ICS), has defined the mix and number of sites required based on local demographics.
Pharmacies have been central to the Government’s COVID-19 response, and figures from NHS England, in January 2022, show just how significant a contribution they have made to the vaccination efforts. In the previous 12 month to January 2022, which marked the one-year anniversary of the sector providing COVID-19 vaccinations, more than 22 million vaccinations were administered by community pharmacy-led COVID vaccination sites. NHS England also highlighted a 50% increase in the number of pharmacies delivering COVID-19 boosters since October 2021.
The vaccination service was first commissioned as a Local Enhanced Service by NHS England regional teams in consultation with Local Pharmaceutical Committees. It was commissioned where there was a local need, for example where there was a gap in service provision or a need for additional capacity, and where pharmacy owners were able to meet the key designation requirements.
Those pharmacy owners selected as designated sites played a critical role in the success of Phase 1 (the vaccination of patient JCVI cohorts 1-9) and Phase 2 (the vaccination of patient JCVI cohorts 10-12) of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Through their strong local relationships, community pharmacies have helped to tackle vaccine inequalities and improve vaccination take-up.
The Phase 3 programme in 2021, was provided alongside the seasonal influenza vaccination programme, which runs each autumn.
In December 2021, provisions were made within the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 for a new type of Enhanced service, the National Enhanced Service (NES). Under this type of service, NHS England commissions an Enhanced service that is nationally specified. This requires NHS England to consult with Community Pharmacy England on matters relating to the service specification and remuneration for the service.
This differs from a LES that is locally developed and designed to meet local health needs and for which NHS England would consult with Local Pharmaceutical Committees. A NES allows the agreement of standard conditions nationally, while still allowing the flexibility for local decisions to commission the service to meet local population needs, as part of a nationally coordinated programme.
Phase 5 of the vaccination service, the Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn/Winter 2023/24 and Spring 2024 booster programmes were all commissioned as a NES.
On 30th May 2024, NHS England opened a new EOI process for pharmacy owners that wished to take part in future COVID-19 vaccination service campaigns between September 2024 and March 2026.
The new multi-campaign approach will mean more pharmacies will be able to choose to participate, with options to engage now or before a confirmed campaign begins. This also removes the additional administrative burden of repeated EOIs before each campaign starts. The approach unifies the EOI process and requirements for all potential providers.
NHS England published the Enhanced service specification for the service, comprehensive guidance on the EOI process and the site sign-up process:
COVID-19 vaccination Enhanced service specification
Guidance on the Community Pharmacy Expression of Interest Process
The EOI process opened on 30th May 2024 on the NHS Business Services Authority’s Manage Your Service (MYS) portal and for the Autumn/Winter 2024 COVID-19 vaccination campaign the interim response deadline for submissions was 11.59pm on 27th June 2024.
The interim response deadline was to provide sufficient time for prospective pharmacy owners to be onboarded for the start of the Autumn/Winter 2024 campaign.
Response documents submitted by pharmacy owners after an interim response deadline (but before any final response deadline) will lead to the potential pharmacy owner, if successful, commencing service provision at the beginning of the immediately following campaign (provided that the response document is submitted before the next interim or the final response deadline immediately preceding that campaign, as applicable).
For example, if a response document is submitted after 27th June 2024 but before the interim response deadline for any Spring/Summer 2025 Campaign, the pharmacy owner would, if successful, commence service provision at the beginning of the next campaign that is announced.
As the EOI covers provision across multiple campaigns and the details of future campaigns have not yet been confirmed, future interim response deadlines (and any final response deadlines) will be communicated via the NHSBSA website.
Pharmacy owners should note, that there is no guarantee that there will be more than one campaign across the commissioned period due to the dependence on Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommendations and Government decisions.
Provision of the service at the pharmacy
Pharmacy owners who wish to participate in the service at their pharmacy can opt-in to the service, subject to meeting the minimum requirements. These are detailed in the NHS England guidance document, but the following summarises the key points. Pharmacy owners:
- Need to read the Enhanced service specification and be confident that they will be able to meet its requirements
- Must also provide the Flu Vaccination Advanced Service from September 2024 to 31st March 2025
- Must be able to offer at least 100 COVID-19 vaccinations per week
- Be ‘in good standing’ from a regulatory perspective with the NHS and other organisations such as the General Pharmaceutical Council
Pharmacy owners who submit an EOI for a site at their pharmacy will not be required to administer all vaccinations from the pharmacy; they must also vaccinate eligible housebound/care home patients if requested by NHS England and they may also provide outreach services if agreed with NHS England.
This new EOI process marks a further change from the approach used by NHS England in previous EOI processes. Additionally, the new EOI process is being hosted on the MYS portal, which NHS England expects will provide a much improved and familiar experience for users.
Provision of the service away from the pharmacy
Pharmacy owners who wish to provide the service from a location away from their pharmacy will need to follow a separate process.
Each NHS England regional team will determine what services may need to be commissioned. Pharmacy owners are invited to express their interest in any opportunity where they feel they can meet the requirements set out by the Commissioner in their invitation to tender (ITT).
Each opportunity will be published, as and when it becomes available, on the Contracts Finder and Find a Tender websites. Therefore, pharmacy owners who are interested in expressing an interest may need to review these websites regularly to check for opportunities. A published opportunity may contain separate Lots for the award of:
- A Fixed Site Contractual Agreement(s); or
- An Outreach Contractual Agreement(s).
ITT documents will be published on the Health Family Portal (registration required).
The timetable for each individual opportunity (i.e. the identified need and the associated procurement advertised on the Health Family Portal) will be set out in the ITT document relevant to that opportunity.
Procurements may be run at any time before 31st March 2026, according to the need for further provision of the service.
Pharmacy owners who wish to express an interest, should first read the NHS England site selection process: guidance for all suppliers. Pharmacy owners can then register once an advert for relevant opportunity goes live on the Health Family Portal, and complete and submit all tender responses in line with the specified timetable for the relevant opportunity.
Pharmacy owners may submit Tender Responses for any and all opportunities for which they wish to be considered.
Read our news story about the IIT process
Review for opportunities via Contracts Finder or Find a Tender
Access the notice of the opportunity
Funding for the service
NHS England has decided to maintain the fee paid for COVID-19 vaccinations at £7.54.
Alongside that fee, pharmacy owners that vaccinate a housebound patient in their home will be able to claim an additional £10 fee.
In addition, an additional £2.50 will be payable for the administration of each COVID-19 vaccination to each patient where the seasonal influenza vaccination is not announced.
This decision was made despite the additional counterarguments that we and general practice representatives put to NHS England on the increased complexity of the COVID-19 vaccination process, related administration workload compared to other vaccinations and increased costs due to inflation and cost of living.
Payment will only be made for COVID-19 vaccinations administered from the service commencement date onwards.
Key documents
Service specification for the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Service COVID-19 vaccination programme : 1st September 2024 to 31st March 2026 (30th May 2024)
Patient Group Directions for COVID-19 vaccines (updated 16th September 2024)
These PGDs provide one of the legal mechanisms for administration of COVID-19 vaccines under the service.
National Protocols for COVID-19 vaccines (updated 18th September 2024)
These protocols provide the legal mechanisms for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines by appropriately trained persons in accordance with regulation 247A of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (HMR 2012), inserted by The Human Medicines (Coronavirus and Influenza) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
System letter – Preparations for an Autumn/Winter 2024/25 flu and COVID-19 seasonal campaign (30th May 2024)
COVID-19 vaccination programme: 1st September 2024 to 31st March 2026 – Site Sign-up Process for Suppliers (the “Guidance”) (30th May 2024)
Site Sign-up Process (NHSBSA website) (30th May 2024)
Site Selection Process: Guidance for all Suppliers for offsite and outreach contracts (11th July 2024)
JCVI statement on the COVID-19 vaccination programme for autumn 2024 (8th August 2024)
JCVI statement on the COVID-19 vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026 (13th November 2024)
This statement provides JCVI advice for the COVID-19 vaccination programme for spring 2025, autumn 2025 and spring 2026.
COVID-19 cohorts
The groups to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in autumn/winter 2024/25 are:
- residents in a care home for older adults;
- all adults aged 65 years and over;
- persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on immunisation against infectious disease; and
- frontline health and social care workers and staff working in care homes for older adults.
For the latter group, which will include community pharmacy staff, NHS England are asking employers to signpost these staff to the most convenient COVID-19 vaccination offer, which may be through NBS, where staff can self-declare their eligibility.
Campaign timings
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign will both commence on Thursday 3rd October 2024.
NHS England will only make payment for COVID-19 vaccinations administered from the service commencement date onwards.
NHS England anticipate that most flu and COVID-19 vaccinations should be completed by Friday 20th December 2024.
Outreach activities for COVID-19 vaccination should continue to be delivered to underserved communities until Friday 31st January 2025.
National Booking Service (NBS)
NBS will be opened for all participating sites to post COVID-19 and flu appointments from Monday 16th September 2024. It will be open for bookings from the public from Monday 23rd September 2024.
The last available appointment date on NBS will be Friday 20th December 2024 for both flu and COVID-19.
NHS England
COVID-19 vaccination guidance
This page provides vaccination centres, hospital hubs and primary care services with a list of guidance about the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
COVID-19 vaccination programme hub (FutureNHS collaboration platform)
If you do not have access to the Future NHS platform, you can register directly on the site using an NHSmail email address or using a similar professional email address by emailing P_C_N-manager@future.nhs.uk.
Summary of the legal mechanisms for administering the COVID-19 vaccine(s)
These summaries help to identify which legal mechanism is most suitable based on the local staffing mix and models for delivery based on the legal framework they must be used within.
COVID-19 vaccination bulletins (Future NHS platform – login required)
These bulletins provide key information for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.
NHS England Primary care guidance hub page
NHS England coronavirus documents hub page
UK Health Security Agency
COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a
COVID-19 vaccination information for public health professionals.
COVID-19 vaccination: information for healthcare practitioners
Guidance for healthcare practitioners about the COVID-19 vaccination programme. (Updated 9th May 2023)
Vaccine incident guidance: responding to errors in vaccine storage, handling and administration (Updated 7th July 2022)
COVID-19 vaccination: vaccine product information (Updated 10th April 2024)
Information on the presentation, doses and storage of COVID-19 vaccines.
JCVI advice on eligible groups for autumn COVID-19 vaccination (2nd August 2024)
Other resources
The following links provide access to further information on the vaccination programme.
Anaphylaxis telephone card (PDF)
Personalise this card and keep it by the phone to guide staff on calling an ambulance if a patient has an anaphylactic reaction to a vaccination.
Anaphylactic reactions – Initial treatment poster (Resuscitation Council UK)
The National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training for Registered Healthcare Practitioners sets the standards and lists the essential topics which should be incorporated into immunisation training for registered healthcare practitioners.
People who will provide the COVID-19 Vaccination Service must have completed practical training in vaccination that meets these requirements. There are a number of organisations that provide vaccination training for pharmacists and those that we have been made aware of are listed on our flu vaccination webpage.
Pharmacy owners will be expected to oversee and keep a record to confirm that all staff have undertaken training prior to participating in the administration of vaccinations. This includes any additional training associated with new vaccines that become available during the period of the service.
All persons involved in the preparation of vaccine must be appropriately trained in this and have appropriate workspace to do so. This process may vary dependent upon the vaccine in use and may include dilution using standard aseptic technique and drawing up of multi-dose vials.
All persons involved in the administration of the vaccine must have:
- Completed the additional online COVID-19 specific training modules available on the e-learning for healthcare website;
- The necessary experience, skills and training to administer vaccines in general, including completion of the general immunisation training available on e-learning for healthcare and face-to-face administration training, where relevant;
- The necessary experience, skills and training, including training with regard to the recognition and initial treatment of anaphylaxis;
- Where a healthcare professional is administering the vaccine, they must have:
- Read and understood the clinical guidance available and ensure they keep up to date with new and stay updated guidance as it is published; and
- Understood and be familiar with the Patient Group Directions and/or the national protocol for the COVID-19 vaccines, including guidance on who can use them.
- Where any other persons are administering the vaccine, they must be familiar with, understand and act within the scope of the national protocol for the COVID-19 vaccines.
Pharmacy owners must ensure that staff are familiar with all guidance relating to the administration of the different types of vaccine and are capable of the provision of vaccinations using the different types of vaccine.
A COVID-19 vaccination training slide set, e-learning programme, vaccinator training requirements and a vaccinator competency assessment tool have also been published and they can be accessed from the GOV.UK COVID-19 vaccination programme hub page.
Patient consent
As with the provision of any pharmacy service, the patient must consent to being vaccinated.
Patient consent should be obtained verbally and that be recorded in the clinical record for the service.
The patient should also be advised of the information sharing that will take place, for the appropriate recording of the vaccination in their GP practice record and with the NHS England (or the NHS Business Services Authority acting on their behalf) for the purposes of payment, post-payment verification, supply management and planning of future vaccination requirements.
Clinical records
There are several point of care (POC) IT systems, made available by NHS England, that pharmacy owners can choose to use to record the vaccination event.
Access information on the available POC systems
Pharmacy owners should ensure that clinical records are made on the system as soon is reasonably possible after the vaccination is administered and before the end of the same day that the vaccination was administered. The service specification provides further information on what to do where that is not possible.
A range of communication packs and toolkits, including key messages, information, translations, Easy Read formats and letter templates has been published on the FutureNHS platform. These can be found on the appropriate Programme Documents section of the COVID-19 Programme Updates and Resources hub page.
The UKHSA has also published an information leaflet for the COVID-19 spring vaccination programme. These can be found at:
COVID-19 vaccination: spring 2024 campaign resources – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Equalities community of practice
A range of bespoke tools, resources and content for your engagement and practice in supporting and learning from people and partners within underserved communities and equalities groups has been published on the FutureNHS platform.
Posters and resources
Signposting patients
A service finder, on the NHS website, lets members of the public and healthcare professionals search for a pharmacy that offers a walk-in vaccination service.
Find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site – NHS
Members of the public can also book, amend or cancel appointments online or via their NHS App.
Book, change, or cancel a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online – NHS
COVID-19 vaccination data is transferred between the pharmacy’s PoC system and the MYS portal throughout the month to support payment. This data transfer concludes on the last day of each calendar month. Where vaccinations have been administered to housebound or care home residents, pharmacy owners must have recorded the status of the patient in the point of care system prior to making the claim for payment.
Claims should be made by the 5th of the month following the activity, as is normal for pharmacy services.
Pharmacy owners will need to log on to MYS to declare that the information is correct and to submit the claims for payment.
Claims will be accepted by the NHSBSA within three months of the expected claim date. Later claims will not be processed.
Payments to pharmacy owners will be made monthly as part of their normal payment schedule. Claims will show on payment schedules under the ‘COVID Vaccine’ header.
Funding
Information on funding can be found in the relevant campaign drop down section or on our Payment timetable and deadline tracker.
National Booking System (NBS) and Q-Flow Support (FutureNHS login required)
Point of Care Systems (FutureNHS login required)
Autumn / Winter 23-24 COVID-19 and Flu Vaccination Campaign – acceleration of programme for new variant (FutureNHS login required)
Vaccination FAQs to support conversations with the public (FutureNHS login required)
Q. Are carers and household contacts of people with immunosuppression eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination in the autumn 2024 vaccination programme?
No. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice does not advise COVID-19 vaccination of unpaid carers and household contacts of people with immunosuppression. This is a change from previous vaccination programmes, but is based on the available evidence base. The JCVI guidance contains a section on ‘Those living and working with vulnerable people’ which provides further information on their decision.
Q. Are frontline health and social care workers entitled to both COVID-19 and NHS flu vaccinations as part of the autumn/winter 2024/25 vaccination programme?
All frontline health and social care workers and staff working in care homes for older adults can have an NHS COVID-19 vaccination as part of the autumn/winter 2024/25 vaccination programme.
Under the Flu vaccination Advanced service, an NHS flu vaccination can only be provided to frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer-led occupational health scheme. This cohort, includes those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by people who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.
All other frontline health care workers, including community pharmacy staff, other clinical and non-clinical staff and those working in a social care setting with an employer led occupational health scheme, who have contact with patients, should be offered a flu vaccine from 3rd October 2024 as part of their employers’ policy for the prevention of the transmission of flu. This is part of the employer’s occupational health commitment to meet their responsibility to protect their staff and patients and ensure the overall safe running of services and it is not part of the NHS flu vaccination service.
Social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to flu should also have the flu vaccine provided by their employer where employer schemes are in place.
Details about the previous campaigns can be found on our COVID-19 Vaccination Service – Campaign Archive page
For more information on this topic please email services.team@cpe.org.uk
