Up to 200 additional pharmacies will be able to offer the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme during 2025/26, under new plans announced by NHS England.

This is on top of the around 40 community pharmacy sites that currently offer the national programme which is open to older adults and pregnant women.

The update comes as part of a new ‘public health functions agreement’ for 2025 to 2026 between the government and NHS England.

It includes latest information and guidance on childhood and adult immunisation programmes, as well as screening programmes.

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It sets out that for the national RSV vaccination programme, NHS England will ‘expand and support evaluation of the community pharmacy vaccination offer by up to 200 sites in identified areas’.

When the RSV vaccination programme was announced last summer, NHS England said it would commission ‘a number’ of community pharmacies to deliver it and that it would become an essential service within GP practices from 1 September 2024.

Those eligible for the vaccination include pregnant women and those aged 75 to 79 years old.

For 2025/26, the new agreement said NHS England would:

  • ensure everyone in the catch-up cohort who was aged 75 to 79 years old on 1 September 2024 is offered vaccination by 31 August 2025
  • maintain the ongoing catch-up and year-round RSV programme offer to those turning 75 years old and pregnant women (from 28 weeks)
  • expand and support evaluation of the community pharmacy vaccination offer by up to 200 sites in identified target areas

As reported by The Pharmacist, NHS England has in recent weeks put out a tender for pharmacies in the North West and in the Midlands to apply to provide the RSV vaccination service.

Chief executive of the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA), Malcolm Harrison, said he was ‘pleased to see’ the expansion for community pharmacies.

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‘Pharmacies can increase access and convenience for patients so they can receive vaccines when and where they want them,’ he said.

‘We encourage the NHS to continue to expand the number of pharmacies included in programme at pace.’

Mr Harrison also reiterated the CCA’s call for pharmacies to be commissioned to deliver a wide range of NHS vaccines, including RSV, pneumonia, shingles, meningitis, and routine childhood vaccinations.

‘Taken together, we estimate that this could free up 10 million GP appointments each year,’ he added.

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‘Alongside existing pharmaceutical services, this expansion would increase access and give patients greater choice. This is especially important as vaccine uptake remains a concern, especially amongst underserved and vaccine-hesitant cohorts.’

Last month, a new study found that England’s national RSV vaccination programme had achieved a ‘significant’ reduction in hospital admissions among older people.