Timelines

Timelines information can be seen in full here.

Pregnant women and children

• Pregnant women should continue to be offered from the 01 September 2025.
  
  
• As flu circulation in children normally precedes that in adults, the children’s programme should continue to start from 01 September 2025 or as soon as delivery and supply of vaccine allows.

Adults

• The adult programme for 2025 to 2026 will commence from the 01 October 2025.
  
  
• Following clinical assessment there may be a small number of other adults who would benefit from vaccination from 01 September 2025. For example, for those who are due to commence immunosuppressive treatment (such as chemotherapy), having a flu vaccine before they start treatment would allow them to make a better response to their vaccination. GPs should use clinical judgement to bring forward vaccination only in these exceptional circumstances otherwise payment will not be made for adults vaccinated before October, in line with contractual arrangements.

Under a new NHS England advanced service pilot, community pharmacies in England will be able to provide flu vaccinations to children aged two to three years from 01 October 2025. The service has been agreed “as a trial for one season”.

Colleagues will remember that GP surgeries are able to start vaccinating this cohort alongside pregnant patients from 01 September 2025.

As part of a trial commissioned for the 2025/2026 winter season, the NHS England initiative allows pharmacies to opt in and expand their role in delivering childhood vaccinations. Pharmacy contractors will receive £9.58 per vaccination administered, which will come from NHS vaccination budgets.

Community pharmacies have been commissioned to provide the service in order to improve uptake of the flu vaccine among children who are too young to be offered it at school and currently can generally only access it through their GP surgery. Community Pharmacy England are confident that pharmacy teams will be able to increase vaccination rates by providing a convenient and accessible service to parents and their eligible children. The community pharmacy service specification can be accessed here: NHS England » Community pharmacy seasonal influenza vaccine service. The GP service specifications can be accessed here: NHS England » General practice seasonal influenza vaccine

GP practices may wish to take a note of the dates highlighted above and plan their own children’s vaccination clinics accordingly.

• NBS will be opened for participating sites to post flu and COVID-19 vaccination appointments from 18 August 2025.
  
  
• it will be open for bookings from the public from 1 September 2025 for vaccination from 01 October 2025.
  
  
• the last available appointment date on NBS will be 31 January 2026 for COVID-19; NBS will remain open for flu only appointments until 31 March 2026.