Overview

• Around 4,000 community pharmacies across England will begin offering the free nasal spray to two- and three-year-olds on 1 October, alongside GP practices, nurseries and mobile vaccination buses in low‑uptake areas.
• Roughly 1.2 million toddlers are eligible, with 751 participating pharmacies in London and 50 selected Boots stores confirmed.
• Parents can book now via the NHS App, NHS.uk or by calling 119, with a pharmacy finder listing walk-in options from 1 October.
• The expansion follows low coverage last season, when about 42.6% of two- and three-year-olds were vaccinated, and after flu accounted for more than 300,000 hospital bed days last winter.
• Most children will receive a quick nasal spray, with an injectable alternative for those who need it, and protection typically develops within 10 to 14 days.