NHS England has increased the service fees for both adult flu and Covid vaccines in its new service specification for community pharmacy for the 2026/27 season.
The specifications were finalised after discussions with Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
The service fees for flu vaccinations at community pharmacies have been increased from £9.58 to £10.06, and they now equal those of GPs.
The service fees for Covid vaccines have also been increased for pharmacies.
Pharmacy owners can claim £8.70 per vaccine administered between 1 September 2026 and 31 January 2027 while the flu vaccination campaign is underway, and £10.06 on other days.
However, there will no longer be an additional £10 payment for the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations to housebound people.
CPE chief executive Janet Morrison said, “Community Pharmacy England is pleased that community pharmacies will now receive the same vaccination fees as GP practices after many years of calling for parity."
Advanced service
From 1 April 2026, the Covid vaccination Service will become an advanced service.
This will allow pharmacy owners to either offer Covid and adult influenza vaccinations together or just offer adult flu vaccinations.
The approach removes the need for Integrated Care Boards to separately procure a Covid vaccination service.
The service specification retains the requirement for pharmacy owners to offer flu vaccines when providing Covid vaccinations, but maintains the flexibility for pharmacy owners to provide NHS flu vaccinations only.
The current Covid vaccination provisions around surge, pausing of services and designation of sites have been removed to align with the flu service requirements.
There is no change to the requirement to use the National Booking System.
Pharmacy owners providing COVID-19 vaccinations must use NBS and not a local booking system for appointments and they are also being encouraged to use NBS for adult flu vaccinations and co-administered vaccinations.
Pharmacy owners must seek agreement from their commissioner if they want to provide COVID-19 and flu vaccinations away from the pharmacy premises.
