NHS England has confirmed to pharmacies that there will be a staggered launch to this year’s flu immunisation drive, with pregnant women and children to be vaccinated from September 1 and other cohorts from October 3.

In a letter to community pharmacy contractors on August 15, NHSE advised that flu vaccinations for pregnant women and all children’s cohorts will begin on Sunday September 1.

Flu vaccinations for other eligible groups, such as over-65s and people aged 18-65 in clinical risk groups, will begin on October 3 – also the date on which the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme will begin for adults aged 65 and over including care home residents, as well as those in clinical risk groups between the ages of 6 months and 64 years.

“This start date reflects JCVI advice that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness can wane over time in adults and so a later start date is preferable,” Community Pharmacy England explained.

CPE added that most flu and Covid-19 vaccinations “should be completed by Friday December 20,” although outreach to underserved communities with Covid vaccinations is expected to continue until the end of January.

The cut-off date for NHS flu vaccination will be Monday March 31.

The National Booking Service (NBS) will allow participating sites to post appointments from September 16, while members of the public will be allowed to book appointments from September 23. The last available date on the NBS for both flu and Covid vaccinations will be Friday December 20.

NHSE said: “Providers are expected to deliver a 100 per cent offer to eligible groups. They should ensure that they make firm plans to equal or improve uptake rate in 2024 to 2025, particularly in cohorts where uptake has traditionally been lower (clinical risk groups, children aged 2 and 3 years and pregnant women.”