Pharmacies in England that are signed up to provide the 2023-24 Covid-19 vaccination service have been asked if they are willing to extend the current contract for an additional five months, with NHS England offering them an additional £2.50 per vaccine.

NHSE wrote to the 3,511 contractors currently signed up to the service last Wednesday (January 31), asking them to let their local commissioner know by February if they are happy to provide the service from March 31 to August 31. 

“NHSE hope as many current pharmacy providers of the service as possible will be able to continue to support the spring campaign and help protect the nation’s most vulnerable populations,” said Community Pharmacy England.

In return, NHS is offering an additional £2.50 on top of the £7.54 item of service fee, applicable to vaccinations carried out from April 1, as well as an additional £10 fee for vaccinating housebound patients in their home (care home vaccinations will not be eligible for this uplift.

CPE services director Alastair Buxton said: “The additional supplemental fee for the spring Covid-19 booster programme is a welcome move by NHS England in response to the case we put to them on the need for additional funding.

“However, we still do not believe the baseline funding for the service is adequate. Despite the arguments for increased funding we put to NHSE, the baseline funding doesn’t recognise the recent inflationary increases in costs pharmacy owners have suffered, nor will it provide for the entirely predictable increases in costs which will be seen over the year ahead. Such as the increase in the national minimum wage.”