Overview

• About 4,000 community pharmacies in England will offer the free nasal spray to two- and three-year-olds with both walk-in and booked appointments.
• Roughly 1.2 million children are eligible, with bookings available now via the NHS App, online or by calling 119.
• Pharmacy vaccinations start on 1 October and sit alongside existing routes through GP practices, schools and maternity services.
• Officials point to heavy winter pressures last year, including more than 300,000 hospital bed days linked to flu, as the rationale for widening access.
• Uptake in this age group was around 42.6% last season, and outreach in nurseries plus mobile vaccination buses will target areas with lower take-up.