NHS England (NHSE) should commission community pharmacies to deliver a wider range of NHS vaccines including pneumonia, shingles, meningitis, RSV and routine childhood vaccinations, the Company Chemists' Association (CCA) has said.

It noted that many pharmacies already offer these vaccines privately, and suggested that commissioning NHS vaccinations through community pharmacies could improve uptake in historically underserved communities.

And it highlighted that this would support the new government's aims of moving towards more preventative, community-based healthcare.

Pharmacies could give 10k more vaccinations a year

Community pharmacies could offer 10,000 more vaccinations each year, the CCA estimated in a new report.

This would build on the sector's success of delivering 42,000,000 Covid vaccinations between December 2020 and August 2024.

In particular, the CCA suggested that community pharmacies could help improve childhood vaccination rates in England.

In 2023/24, no vaccines in England met the World Health Organization target of 95% of children receiving childhood vaccinations.

Only 83.4% of five-year-olds had received both doses of the MMR jab and only 89.4% of five years olds had received the Hib/ Men C vaccine, according to 2023/24 data.

And just 59% of pregnant women received the whooping cough vaccine in the third quarter of 2023/25 - 15% less than in 2016/17.

The CCA noted that many pharmacies offer some of these vaccines privately. But most pharmacies cannot provide NHS-funded vaccines as they are not commissioned to do so.

They must therefore refer patients to another provider, which the CCA said added barriers to accessing care.

Pharmacies effective in reaching patients from minority ethnic backgrounds

The CCA's report, published today, noted that in 2021, over a third of community pharmacy Covid vaccines were provided in the 20% most deprived communities.

And more than half of those given to people from a Black/Black British, Asian/Asian British, Chinese, mixed or other ethnic background in spring 2024 were delivered through community pharmacies.

Data requested from NHSE indicates that community pharmacies were most effective in reaching patients from an Asian or Asian British background, delivering 62% of the Covid vaccinations given to this group in spring 2024.

This was followed by 58% of the Covid vaccinations given to those from a Chinese or other ethnic group.

Census data from 2021 indicates that vaccine hesitancy in England is highest among Black and Black British adults, reported by 21% of this group. In spring 2024, community pharmacies delivered 55% of the Covid vaccinations given to this group, suggesting the sector's effectiveness in helping to overcome vaccine hesitancy.

The CCA also noted that vaccine hesitancy is higher in more deprived areas, which are more likely to have access to a community pharmacy than any other healthcare setting.

The CCA noted that pharmacy staff members are often members of the community they work in, already hold strong relationships with local populations and are well placed to understand culturally relevant factors towards vaccination hesitancy.

CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison commented: 'Vaccines are one of the most effective tools in our armoury to prevent ill-health.

'Pharmacies have proven time and time again that they can boost uptake and confidence in vaccination, especially amongst underserved communities.

'Pharmacies could deliver 10 million more vaccinations each year – freeing up GP capacity and hospital beds, but also ensuring patients and members of the public could be vaccinated where and when they want.

'NHS England must now build on community pharmacy’s track record in the flu and Covid-19 vaccination programme, and commission pharmacies to administer a whole range of NHS vaccines.'

Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), highlighted that the NPA had 'long called for an expansion' of community pharmacy's role in NHS vaccinations.

'The sector’s impressive track record in public health, the potential to address health inequalities and the unparalleled access offered by pharmacies create a very strong case for service development in this sphere,' he said.

Earlier this year, NHSE said it was launching 12 ‘demonstrator sites’ to test ‘new and innovative’ models of vaccination delivery.

This month it was revealed that Boots is launching a private RSV vaccination service priced at £245.

NHSE has been approached for comment.