Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of the flu vaccine at pharmacies and chemists.

General practitioners (GPs) and pharmacies are directly responsible for ordering flu vaccine from suppliers which are used to deliver the national flu programme to adults, with deliveries phased through the season.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to ensure that local providers are supported to meet increased demand for the flu vaccination this winter. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has granted dispensation to allow the movement of vaccines locally this season, to address local shortages. In addition, the Department has procured additional doses of adult seasonal flu vaccine to ensure more flu vaccines are available from November. Guidance for pharmacists will be released soon. Guidance for GPs on accessing the additional stock is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accessing-government-secured-flu-vaccines-guidance-for-gps