GP practices to deliver Covid jabs outside of PCNs from next year
GP practices will be able to deliver Covid vaccines individually rather than as part of a PCN from next year, NHS England has confirmed.
From April next year, individual practices will be able to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations and they will no longer be required to form a PCN grouping to deliver the service.
NHS England said that there will no longer be an additional £10 payment for the administration of Covid-19 vaccinations to housebound people, but that they have increased the Covid-19 vaccination item of service fees.
Practices will be able to claim £8.70 per vaccine administered between 1 September 2026 and 31 January 2027 while the flu campaign is underway; and £10.06 outside the flu campaign.
Yesterday the Government confirmed acceptance of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2026 Covid vaccination programme.
The eligible cohorts for the Covid-19 spring 2026 programme will be:
- adults aged 75 years and over
- residents in a care home for older adults
- individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a
Vaccination should begin from 13 April 2026 and end on 30 June 2026, and priority should be given to care homes for older adults and eligible housebound patients, NHS England said.
In a letter to practices, NHS England director of vaccination Caroline Temmink said: ‘For the first time, we have combined the Covid-19 and adult influenza service specifications into one document, although practices can still sign up to deliver only the adult influenza vaccination service.
‘We have also streamlined and further aligned the Covid-19 and adult influenza vaccination requirements.’
Practices that offer one or both of the seasonal vaccination programmes and are a member of a PCN will be required to collaborate with other practices within their PCN to offer those vaccinations to the PCN’s care home residents collectively.
The new combined Covid-19 and adult influenza vaccination service specification, published yesterday, commissions the vaccination of patients aged 18 years old and above.
Flu vaccinations for 2 to 3 year olds and children between 6 months and 18 years who are in a clinical risk group will be commissioned through a separate enhanced service specification, which will be published shortly, the commissioner added.
The item of service fee for the adult influenza vaccination service will be £10.06 in 2026/27.
The commissioner will announce patient eligibility and the start dates for the 2026/27 autumn/winter Covid-19 and adult influenza vaccination campaigns once these are confirmed.
Earlier this year, GPs warned that patients attending for winter vaccines were confused and concerned they were no longer eligible for both a flu and Covid jab after officials changed the rules.
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READERS' COMMENTS [2]
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Gradual end of PCNs as expected from the very outset but not until after wasting billions of NHS funds and now soon to be transferred to wasting billions via neighbourhood groups and superhubs. The same mindless relentless pattern of behaviour or misbehaviour by NHS England , DHSC and the government backed by ICBs with same old leadership faces transferring from group to another in this persisting downward spiral . Still patients continue waiting for appointments and staff continue remaining demoralised. In another decade of few decades , these organisations and leaders may realise what was known decades in the past that all these services can be delivered more cost effectively by local GP practices or local self managed collaboration.
Why has the housebound fee been removed, and how will the cost of providing these injections be recouped, or will they just be left disenfranchised and and unvaccinated/unprotected unless GPs choose to fund this service from good will? Or leave it to PCN’s to fund without adequate funding wasting money that should be reinvested in other staff/services.
This needs challenging by BMA/LMC immediately otherwise GPs will simply not be able to provide the housebound any protection