Flu jab fee to remain the same after DHSC ‘refuse’ to increase
The 2025/26 adult flu vaccination service fee will be frozen at £9.58 again for pharmacies this season after ministers failed to reach an agreement with Community Pharmacy England (CPE).
The negotiator said that despite putting a case forward, the government has refused to increase the fee and that since an agreement could not be made between the two parties, ministers took the decision to ‘impose’ the fee.
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A £9.58 fee – which is the same as that paid in the previous six seasons – was ‘unacceptable’ CPE said, so the Department of Health and Social Care’s decision to impose it was ‘very disappointing’.
The negotiator warned that costs for pharmacy owners have ‘increased significantly’ over the last six years, including through rising inflation, wage costs and employers’ National Insurance contributions.
‘Community pharmacies play an important part in the annual flu vaccination campaign, vaccinating millions of people,’ CPE said.
‘In doing so, they help to protect many patients throughout winter and reduce the impact of seasonal illness on other parts of the NHS, particularly hospitals.
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‘It is clear that costs for pharmacy owners have increased significantly over recent years and these should be reflected in the funding for the service.’
The eligible cohorts for the Adult Flu Vaccination Service are unchanged. From 1 September 2025, pharmacies will be able to vaccinate pregnant women and from 1 October 2025, vaccination of other adult cohorts, which includes those aged 65 and over, under 65s in clinical risk groups and care home residents, will commence.
The campaign will end on 31 March 2026, but most vaccinations should be completed by the end of November 2025 for the best protection through the winter.
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In addition, a new children’s flu vaccination service will launch in pharmacies from 1 October 2025 – another ‘strategically important step towards community pharmacies being able to support the delivery of all NHS vaccination programmes’, according to Alastair Buxton, director of NHS Services at CPE.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
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