NHSE last week (March 28) proposed that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination should be offered in “alternative settings such as community pharmacies” to increase “equitable uptake”.
Suggested as part of its “cervical cancer elimination by 2024 – plan for England”, NHSE said that community pharmacies could play an important role in “[helping to] raise cultural awareness” about the vaccine in their local communities.
Read more: Lloydspharmacy introduces £310 HPV vaccination in 13 branches
“In line with the NHS vaccination strategy and the delegation of vaccination services to integrated care boards (ICBs) in April 2026, we will work with partners to explore how the provider network could be expanded for certain vaccinations,” the body said.
“This could include building on the existing GP offer...and enabling HPV vaccination catch-up in alternative settings such as community pharmacies,” it added.
“Increased access”
NHSE said that it is currently “developing the digital enablers required to support increased access to catch-up HPV vaccinations” in locations such as community pharmacies.
“This includes invitations and reminders and the ability to book appointments through the NHS app and website,” it added.
Read more: ICBs to commission ‘all vaccination services’ from April 2026
The proposal follows the body’s findings that “despite the opportunities to eliminate cervical cancer, both HPV vaccination and cervical screening coverage have declined over recent years”.
And it comes after NHSE approved proposals to delegate “all vaccination services” and “most components of screening services” to ICBs in February.
The now-approved proposal documents set out plans to delegate the “vast majority” of these services to ICBs on April 1 2026 – including community pharmacy services such as flu vaccination and blood pressure checks.
Read more: Cuts and commissioning: What does NHSE’s axing mean for ICBs?
From then, “ICBs will have responsibility for a wider range of prevention services for their populations and greater levers to discharge their population health function”, they said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month announced that NHSE will be abolished to bring the management of the NHS “back into democratic control”.
