NHSE confirms dates and eligibility for autumn Covid and flu jabs

NHS England (NHSE) has confirmed the eligibility criteria and key dates for its upcoming autumn 2025 Covid-19 and flu vaccination programmes.

Frontline health and social care workers, including staff working in care homes for older adults, will not be eligible for a Covid vaccination under the national programme launching this September.

The change follows a review by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which suggested Covid vaccination ‘likely now has only a very limited impact on reducing staff sickness absence’.

The move is a change from last Autumn, where health and social care workers were eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.

According to a letter sent by Caroline Temmink, director of vaccination, primary care, community, vaccinations and screening (PCVS) directorate at NHSE, to healthcare providers last week, the autumn Covid vaccination programme will prioritise and focus on particularly vulnerable groups.

Those eligible for the autumn 2025 Covid-19 jab include:

Adults aged 75 and over
Residents in care homes for older adults
Individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the government’s Green Book (Chapter 14a, Tables 3 and 4)

Those eligible for a flu jab this year include:

Pregnant women
All children aged two or three years on 31 August 2025
Primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
Secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
All children in clinical risk groups aged from six months to less than 18 years
Those aged 65 years and over
Those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza chapter 19 )
Those in long-stay residential care homes
carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
Frontline health care workers, including both clinical and non-clinical staff who have contact with patients

NHSE has also confirmed that legal frameworks and training materials around vaccination will be updated before the programme’s launch in September 2026.

What are the key programme dates?

Flu Vaccination:

Pregnant women: from 1 September 2025
All other eligible adults: from 1 October 2025
End of campaign: 31 March 2026

NHS England recommends most flu jabs be administered by the end of November 2025 to ensure optimal winter protection

Covid-19 Vaccination:

Programme duration: 1 October 2025 – 31 January 2026
Most vaccinations expected to be completed by 19 December 2025

How can patients book their vaccination?

From 18 August, sites will begin posting appointment availability on the National Booking Service (NBS).

The public will be able to book appointments from 1 September 2025, with vaccination appointments available from 1 October 2025.

The final booking date for Covid jab appointments will be January 2026, while the final booking date for flu appointments will be 31 March 2026.

Future steps

The letter also states that primary care networks (PCNs) and PCN groupings should work with providers to prioritise the vaccination of older care home residents, and those who are housebound.