Overview
- Family doctors, via the BMA, have written to England’s chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, flagging concerns over static payments for delivering flu vaccinations.
- The BMA says fees for the programme were last increased in 2018/19, creating a real‑terms funding decline as costs have grown.
- Some practices have told the BMA they will not sign up for next winter’s programme and therefore do not plan to order vaccine stock.
- The union stresses urgency because initial vaccine orders for next winter must be placed soon, raising risks to supply and uptake.
- The Department of Health and Social Care cites an extra £1.1 billion for general practice and NHS England says funding will be kept under review, though no targeted flu‑fee uplift has been announced.