ICBs should work with primary care networks (PCNs) to prioritise older care home residents and those who are housebound in the 2024/25 flu and Covid vaccination campaign, NHS England has said.
In an update letter sent to ICBs, PCNs, GP practices and other vaccination providers, national director for vaccinations and screening at NHS England, Steve Russell, outlined the groups of patients eligible for vaccination this autumn/winter (see box). But said those who are in older adult care homes or are housebound should be prioritised.
In March, NHS England moved the flu vaccination programme from September to October due to Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice that the effectiveness of the vaccine can wane over time in adults.
However, children should still be offered the flu vaccine from 1 September, the letter added, as flu ‘circulates in this age group earlier and protection lasts longer’. Pregnant women will also be offered the vaccination from this earlier date.
The letter said it was ‘vital’ providers do outreach to meet the needs of disadvantaged communities, particularly those who are deprived.
It said: ‘For example, providers may want to consider how to design services for people who struggle to make appointments during working hours.
‘We would expect that any provider would make reasonable efforts to reach the whole eligible population.
‘Where possible, these outreach services should be aligned across all vaccinations – and with wider prevention efforts – to ensure that we are taking all opportunities to improve the health of unvaccinated and under-vaccinated communities.’
NHS England anticipates that most flu and Covid vaccines will be completed by 20 December 2024 but said activities for Covid vaccination should ‘continue to be delivered to underserved communities until 31 January 2025’.
The national booking service will be opened for participating sites to post Covid and flu appointments from 16 September, and will be opened to the public from 23 September. The last appointment dates will be 20 December for both flu and Covid, but flu vaccinations will remain available until 31 March 2025.
Patient-facing staff will be encouraged to take up a free Covid booster through the programme.
Groups eligible for vaccination
Flu vaccination:
From 1 September 2024:
- pregnant women
- all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
- primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
- secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
- all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years
From 3 October:
- those aged 65 years and over
- those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza Chapter 19)
- those in long-stay residential care homes
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants
Covid vaccination:
- residents in a care home for older adults
- all adults aged 65 years and over
- persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Green Book on immunisation against infectious disease
- patient-facing health and social care staff (although the JCVI has advised these be excluded from the national programme and instead offered vaccination via occupational health schemes in future years)
Source: Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse PCN.
