Community pharmacies will be able to provide the HPV vaccine from 2026 to those who missed out at school, according to the government’s 10-year health plan, published today.
The long-awaited plan also committed to giving community pharmacy a ‘bigger role’ in prevention by expanding responsibilities for delivering vaccines and screening for cardiovascular and diabetes risks.
Over the next five years, the government has pledged to ‘transition’ community pharmacy from a dispensing-focused service to offering more clinical services and for pharmacists to be included in those staffing new neighbourhood health centres.
The plan proposes a shift from hospital to community care and from treatment to prevention, both of which involve greater involvement from community pharmacies.
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On vaccinations, the plan states that from 2026, to help reach the government’s target to ‘eliminate cervical cancer, women and young people who missed out on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination at school will be able to have the vaccine administered at their local pharmacy’.
It added: ‘We will also give community pharmacy a bigger role in prevention by expanding their role in vaccine delivery and in screening for risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.’
Since 2024, pharmacies have played a growing role administering the RSV vaccination programme, helping decrease RSV hospitalisations in older people by 30%.
In April, NHS England announced that 200 additional pharmacies could provide the vaccinations.
Community pharmacies have recently been given a boosted role in vaccinating the public against flu.
Last month, they gained access to the central stock of flu vaccines for children, and NHSE announced an upcoming service to help the public find pharmacies that offer walk-in flu vaccinations.
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Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said the ‘devil’s in the detail’ but recognised there is ‘a lot of opportunity’ for the sector.
‘It’s good that the 10-year plan will also give community pharmacy a bigger role in prevention by expanding their role in vaccine delivery and in screening for risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.’
In his speech launching the 10-year plan today, the Prime Minister also championed a stronger focus on new weight loss treatments, primarily provided through pharmacies.
Commenting on the plan, Company Chemists’ Association chief executive Malcolm Harrison said: 'We believe the sector is ready to take on an even bigger role in administering vaccinations and screening.
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'Through the Pharmacy Vaccinations Development Group, the CCA has been working to establish community pharmacy as the home of a range of NHS vaccines.
'We are delighted therefore to see that a new HPV vaccination service, administered from pharmacies, will help deliver on the government’s goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035.'
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