Expand pharmacy role in vaccination delivery to boost uptake - CCA urges NHSE

Pharmacies can boost confidence in vaccination, especially amongst underserved communities

Commissioning pharmacies to deliver more vaccinations -– including pneumonia, shingles, meningitis, RSV and other routine childhood vaccines – could free up 10 million GP vaccination appointments each year, according to a new report by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA).

This shift would enable GPs to focus on providing care to patients with more complex needs, improve vaccine access for underserved communities, reverse declining uptake, and free up hospital beds at a critical time for the NHS – the report said.

Highlighting the crucial role pharmacies play in vaccination delivery, the report revealed: “Pharmacies have administered over 42 million Covid vaccinations between December 2020 and August 2024, more than a quarter of the 165 million Covid vaccines delivered so far.”

In spring 2024, more than half of all Covid vaccinations given to Black/Black British, Asian/Asian British, mixed ethnicity, and Chinese or other ethnicity groups were administered in pharmacies.

These groups, previously identified as having higher levels of vaccine hesitancy, benefited significantly from the accessibility of pharmacy services, the report noted.

Additionally, previous research cited in the report found that pharmacy colleagues were considered to be trusted sources of information and held strong relationships with the local community, with patients visiting pharmacies 12 times more frequently than GPs.

With more pharmacies in areas of higher deprivation, their convenient locations and extended opening hours, pharmacies provide accessible care to patients, particularly those in underserved communities.

CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison emphasised that 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,” he said.

Harrison also called on NHS England to “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.”

The report underscored that in 2023/24, no childhood vaccines met the World Health Organisation (WHO) target coverage rate of 95 per cent. It suggested that community pharmacies could play a critical role in increasing uptake.

One example cited was a pharmacy MMR vaccine programme commissioned earlier this year in response to a concerning rise in cases of measles in Northwest England.

NHS figures showed that nearly one in six children had not received both doses of the MMR vaccine by the age of five.

Both doses are essential for long-term protection against measles, mumps and rubella, which can cause serious illness and complications such as blindness and meningitis.

For individuals over the age of five who have not completed their MMR vaccination schedule, 43 pharmacies across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, and South Cumbria now offer the vaccine.

This programme harnesses the accessibility of pharmacies to increase the uptake of the MMR vaccine in high-risk areas.

Responding to the CCA report, Nick Kaye, chair of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), stated that they have consistently advocated for an expanded role in vaccination within the NHS to help protect the population against other illnesses such as pneumonia.

“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 added.