The number of pharmacies in England set to take part in this year’s autumn Covid vaccination drive is 27 per cent higher than in the Phase 3 rollout last autumn and winter, NHS data indicates.

Last Thursday (September 1), NHS England published a list of sites participating in the programme this year, including 1,845 pharmacy-led sites – a 27 per cent increase on the figure of 1,454 it provided in January this year for Phase 3. 

NHSE also confirmed there are 1,115 GP-led sites, 126 large vaccination sites and 244 hospital hubs, commenting that a “record 3,100 sites are expected to be part of the rollout” with new sites signing up “all the time”.

The autumn 2022 campaign launched in care homes on Monday, with millions of individuals receiving invitations to book an appointment from today. 

Gareth Jones, the National Pharmacy Association’s director of corporate affairs, said: “Pharmacies have proven themselves to be effective and reliable partners in the covid vaccination programme. Millions of people have benefitted from their efforts to date.

“This latest list of participants shows once again that independents are the backbone of this sector’s efforts to protect the population from coronavirus.” 

PSNC director of NHS services Alastair Buxton said: "It's great to see more pharmacies joining the booster vaccination programme to help make this winter's COVID jabs more accessible.

“Many pharmacy teams have already made an amazing contribution to the COVID vaccination programme and are keen to build on their achievements by once again supporting the national vaccination effort."