950,000 NHS flu jabs were provided in community pharmacies in 2016/17, newly published data reveals – an increase of 355,000 on the previous year, or just under 60 per cent. 

These are the findings of PharmData, a company specialising in NHS dispensing data in community pharmacy. The company’s pharmacy flu report, which has recently been updated to include the 2016/17 flu season as well as 2015/16, looks at all NHS community pharmacies in England and Wales.

The main trends suggested by the data are an increase in the number of jabs provided and the number of pharmacies taking part. 8,451 pharmacies participated in the NHS seasonal flu vaccination advanced service in 2016/17 – an increase of 1,256 on the previous year, or 17.5 per cent.

The total payout to pharmacies for flu vaccinations over this period was £14,570,774, including £5,880,781.42 in vaccine cost reimbursement and £8,689,992.11 in professional fees.