The DH last week (August 29) announced that a “free chickenpox vaccination will be offered for the first time to children across England on the NHS from January”.
But it yesterday (September 1) revealed to C+D that there is no current plan to offer the vaccine through pharmacies.
It comes amid reports that community pharmacies are “likely” to offer the new vaccine in 2026.
Read more: BREAKING: DH imposes ‘unacceptable’ frozen flu jab fee
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) NHS services director Alastair Buxton said that the negotiator “is committed to increasing the range of NHS vaccination programmes commissioned from pharmacies, including for childhood programmes”.
This aligns with its “vision for community pharmacy and the aspirations of pharmacy owners”, he said.
“Some pharmacies are commissioned at a local level to provide measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations and those services will likely be updated by commissioners to use the new [chickenpox] vaccine in 2026,” Buxton added.
£150 at pharmacies
According to the DH, the jab will be offered at GP practices as part of routine infant vaccination appointments as a “combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) - the clinical term for chickenpox”.
The rollout will “keep kids in school and parents in work while also saving the NHS vital funds”, it said, adding that it will “save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the common condition”.
Read more: Pharmacies to trial children’s flu vaccine service from October
Currently, private chickenpox vaccinations cost around £150 at pharmacies for “a full course of two doses”, the DH said, stressing that this rollout will now make the vaccine “free of charge on the NHS to eligible children”.
The DH confirmed to C+D that if the public still want their children to receive a chickenpox vaccine at their local pharmacy, payment will still be required.
Eligibility criteria
The DH explained that the decision to roll out the MMRV vaccine in January “is based on expert scientific advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)”.
And it added that “this is the first time protection against another disease has been added to the routine childhood vaccination programme since the MenB vaccine in 2015”.
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“The eligibility criteria for children will be set out in clinical guidance covering which age groups will get the MMRV vaccine and when to ensure the most effective protection,” it said, adding that the programme will “protect around half a million children each year”.
Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said that this vaccine “puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve”.
And NHS England (NHSE) primary care national director Amanda Doyle said that “the MMRV vaccine rollout forms part of the government’s overall aim to ensure young people thrive as part of the 10-year health plan”.
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It comes after CPE last week announced that the DH has decided to freeze the fee for delivery of flu vaccinations in 2025/26 for the seventh season running, labelling the move as “unacceptable”.
And the negotiator announced in July that it had agreed to the introduction of a “one-season trial of a new flu vaccination service for children aged two to three years”, which is set to launch in October.
