Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible frontline health and social care staff

Classification: Official

To:

  • Integrated care boards:
    • chief executive officers
    • medical directors
    • chief nurses
    • chief pharmacists
    • chief AHPs
    • healthcare science leads
  • NHS trusts and foundation trusts:
    • chief executive officers
    • medical directors
    • chief nurses
    • directors of midwifery
    • chief pharmacists
    • chief AHPs
  • Primary care networks

cc:

  • NHS England regional:
    • directors
    • directors of commissioning
    • chief midwives
    • chief dentists
    • lead obstetricians
    • chief pharmacists
    • chief AHPs
  • NHS England national:
    • chief nurse network
    • AHPs network

Dear colleagues,

Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible frontline health and social care staff

Thank you for your continued work to prepare for winter, including through the offer of winter vaccinations to protect our patients, frontline staff and services during colder months.

Both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to all eligible frontline health and social care professionals, including clinical and non-clinical staff who have direct contact with patients, ahead of winter.

Recent data shows that uptake among staff is lower than in recent years. While figures do not directly compare due to the later timing of this year’s campaign (which for most adults began in October, based on JCVI advice to maximise protection ahead of the typical peak flu season), it is crucial that we make the most of the coming weeks.

Please continue to make every effort to ensure that your eligible frontline team members are offered and can easily access their vaccine.

To maximise protection for your teams, we ask that all NHS organisations ensure that convenient and clearly signposted local vaccination arrangements remain in place for eligible frontline professionals until Friday 31 January 2025 for COVID-19, and Monday 31 March 2025 for flu, including through local booking systems where appropriate.

To support this, we urge all systems and NHS employers to keep encouraging eligible frontline colleagues to come forward for their flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

This should include by:

  • involving staff networks, chaplaincy services and a wide range of trusted local leaders
  • offering drop-in sessions to discuss any questions with trusted clinicians
  • making full use of online NHS campaign resources and promoting vaccine awareness regularly at team meetings, in newsletters and other local settings
    • a communications toolkit, top tips and a set of communications materials are available in the Campaign Resource Centre (with one-off registration open to all)

Larger provider organisations should seek to maintain a wide-ranging offer, with options out-of-hours and on multiple sites, backed up by drop-in sessions, pop-up or roving vaccinations.

Please also pay regard to this alert, published on 3 December 2024 by the UK Health Security Agency, authorising NHS prescription of antivirals in primary care and dispensing through community pharmacy with effect from the same date.

Once again, thank you for everything you are doing to keep our staff protected and to keep our NHS strong over winter.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director, NHS England
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England
Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, NHS England
Steve Russell, Chief Delivery Officer and National Director for Vaccinations and Screening, NHS England
Navina Evans CBE, Chief Workforce, Training and Education Officer, NHS England
Professor Suzanne Rastrick OBE, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer for England, NHS England
Dr Claire Fuller, Primary Care Medical Director, NHS England
Professor Dame Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for England
David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England
Professor Donald Peebles, National Clinical Director for Maternity, NHS England
Professor Julian Redhead, National Clinical Director for Integrated Urgent and Emergency Care, NHS England
Jason Wong MBE, Chief Dental Officer for England, NHS England

Publication reference: PRN01735