The national arrangements for providing vaccines are set out in the additional services section of the SFE (statement of financial entitlements).
Those vaccines that are provided as enhanced services will have their arrangements outlined in their respective service specifications.
Seasonal Influenza Programme 2025/26
The enhanced service specification for the seasonal flu programme has now been published by NHS England and can be found at the link below.
Whilst practices may wish to co-administer flu vaccinations with COVID vaccinations (where the practice is signed up to the COVID vaccination programme and where co-administration is clinically appropriate) this is not a requirement.
Under the specification, practices can provided flu vaccinations to their patient facing staff. Whilst they are not eligible to receive payment for these, they will be covered under the CNDGP for indemnity purpose.
GP locums are able to receive vaccination from their registered practice or current place of employment.
The specifications for the adult and childhood flu programmes, respectively, can be found below, alongside the 2024 flu letter:
The annual flu letter for the 2025/26 flu programme
Changes to GMS vaccination programmes for 2025/26
Item of service (IoS) fees for routine childhood immunisations have been uplifted by £2 to £12.06. This includes all childhood routine vaccinations set out within Table 1 of the SFE, plus Hepatitis B immunisations at birth/four weeks and 12 months and MMR for those 6 and over.
The payments for all other vaccination remain the same.
In addition to the changes to IoS fee for routine childhood vaccinations, there will also be the following changes in 25/26, in line with recommendations by The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations:
- two changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, necessitated by the discontinuation of the Menitorix (Hib/MenC) vaccine
- the exchange of MenB and PCV vaccines within the childhood schedule (from January 2026)
- a change to the adult shingles programme, reflecting new evidence on the effectiveness of the vaccination for a broader severely Immunosuppressed (SIS) cohorts
- introduction of a varicella vaccine, with MMR replaced by MMRV (from January 2026)
- an amendment to the requirement to record the dried blood spot test for at risk babies, allowing that recording to take place between 12 and 18 months
- changes to the SFE to address inconsistencies in treatment of patients that move practice as set out in paragraphs 15-17 of annex F.
Routine childhood vaccinations
| Age | Disease | Vaccination |
|---|---|---|
| At birth, four weeks | Babies born to hepatitis B infected mothers | Hepatitis B (Engerix B/ HBVAXPRO) |
| Children aged 12 months on or before 30 June 2025 will be eligible for HepB at their 12- month appointment (whenever they present) | Babies born to hepatitis B infected mothers. GP practices need to ensure that the results for the baby’s blood test to ascertain the existence of Hepatitis B in the baby’s patient record | Hepatitis B (Engerix B/ HBVAXPRO) |
| 8 weeks | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) and hepatitis B | DtaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
| Meningococcal group b (MenB) | MenB | |
| Rotavirus gastroenteritis | Rotavirus | |
| 12 weeks | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) and hepatitis B | DtaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
| Meningococcal group b (MenB) | MenB | |
| Rotavirus | Rotavirus | |
| 16 weeks | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (hib) and hepatitis B | DtaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
| Pneumococcal (13 serotypes) | Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) | |
| Under 1 year | Pneumococcal (13 serotypes) immunocompromised or who have complement deficiency, asplenia or splenic dysfunction must receive the PCV and MenACWY as follows | Doses as defined in Box 7.1 of Green Book chapter 7: Immunisation of individuals with underlying medical conditions |
| 1 year (on or after baby's first birthday) | Hib and MenC | Hib/MenC (combined) |
| 18 months of age or soon after | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) and hepatitis B | DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB |
| Pneumococcal | PCV booster | |
| Measles, mumps and rubella | MMR | |
| MenB | MenB booster | |
| 3 years 4 months or soon after | Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio | DtaP/IPV |
| Measles, mumps and rubella | MMR | |
| 14 years | Tetanus, diphtheria and polio | Td/IPV |
Adult routine immunisations
| Age | Disease | Vaccination |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnant women from 16 weeks of pregnancy | Pertussis | ADACEL (Tdap) |
| 2-64 years (in a clinical at risk group) | Pneumococcal (23 serotypes) | Pneumococcal Vaccine Polysaccharide (PPV) until stocks have depleted. When depleted, or if not available, then Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) |
| 65 years | Pneumococcal (23 serotypes) | Pneumococcal Vaccine Polysaccharide (PPV) until stocks have depleted. When depleted, or if not available, then Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) |
| 18 years and over at the point of vaccination who fall within a severely immunocompromised cohort | Shingles | Shingrix (2 dose schedule, second dose 8 weeks to 6 months after the first) |
| Age 65,66 and 67 on or after 1 September 2023 and at the point of vaccination who are immunocompetent individuals, eligible until aged 69 (catch up programme 65-69 | Shingles | Shringrix (2 dose schedule, second dose 6 to 12 months after the first) |
| Age 70 years on or after 1 September 2023 and at the point of vaccination who are immunocompetent individuals, eligible until aged 80 years (routine programme) | Shingles | Shingrix (2 dose schedule, second dose 6 to 12 months after the first) |
| Aged 75 years on or after 1 September 2024 and at least 75 years at the point of vaccination, remaining eligible until attaining age 80 years | Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) | 1 dose of RSV |
| Aged 75-78 years on 31 August 2024 and eligible until 31 August 2026 | Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) | 1 dose of RSV |
| Aged 79 years on 31 August 2024 and eligible until 31 August 2026 | Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) | 1 dose of RSV |
Other vaccination programmes
| Age | Disease | Vaccine |
|---|---|---|
| 14 to 24 years (opportunistic catch-up, where not administered under the schools programme) | Meningococcal groups A, C, W and Y disease (completing dose) | MenACWY |
| 14 to 24 years (opportunistic catch-up, where not administered under the schools programme) | HPV (human papillomavirus) types 16 and 18 (and genital warts caused by types 6 and 11) (completing dose) | HPV |