This page contains information on the funding for the flu vaccination service, how to claim payment and the post-payment verification process which is used by the NHS.

Funding

In 2021/22, contractors will be paid £9.58 for each vaccine administered; this fee is funded from NHS vaccination budgets, not from the CPCF global sum.

Contractors will also be reimbursed for the vaccine cost at the basic price (list price) of the individual vaccine administered and an allowance at the applicable VAT rate will also be paid.

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) are also expected to make some funding available to support additional costs contractors might incur if they organise vaccination sessions off the pharmacy premises; further details on this are expected to be published shortly.

Claiming payment

Community pharmacy contractors must claim payment monthly, via the Manage Your Service (MYS) portal.

NHSBSA animation on how to submit your flu vaccination claim on MYS

Claims for the 2021/22 flu season will be accepted by the NHSBSA within six months of administration of the vaccination or by 31st August 2022, whichever date is earlier, in accordance with the usual Drug Tariff claims process. Later claims will not be processed. Payments to contractors will be made monthly as part of their normal payment schedule.

Additional funding for off-site provision

NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) have confirmed that funding is available to support reasonable additional costs contractors might incur if they organise vaccination sessions off the pharmacy premises.

The guidance has been published on the Future NHS platform. Contractors who are not already registered to access the platform can self-register on the platform using their NHSmail address.

Autumn and Winter Community Pharmacy Finance and Payments Guidance (2021-22) v1

The guidance follows the updated determination for the service published by the Department of Health and Social Care on the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) website.

Payment conditions

Contractors seeking to claim for additional costs will be required to meet the following conditions:

• To obtain pre-authorisation of the costs from the regional NHSE&I office prior to any spend in line with the guidance; and
• To ensure that the costs are not already covered via any other means.

The funding is restricted to contributions towards the costs of additional venue hire and associated costs inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

In relation to the pre-authorisation of venue hire, NHSE&I will only authorise where:

• there is no other venue that has already been paid for either very near or at the same place, at the same time, that the contractor could make use of and it is not possible to use existing estates or premises to deliver vaccination clinics, or to use NHS void and vacant space brokered through the contractor’s regional NHSE&I team;
• the session is not deemed by NHSE&I to create over-provision in a certain area or certain time, to ensure provision of offsite vaccinations are evenly spread;
• in the contractor’s professional opinion, the venue is suitable for the provision of pharmaceutical services and the contractor is satisfied that they can meet General Pharmaceutical Council and COVID-19 Infection Prevention Control standards; and
• the contractor has enough vaccine supplies to run the offsite clinic and vaccinate expected attendees.

Pre-authorisation of cost will be given on a first come first served basis, from a finite budget.

Claiming

Claims for payments for pre-authorised costs should be made monthly, via the Manage Your Service (MYS) platform. Claims will be accepted by the NHSBSA within six months of hire of the venue or by 31st August 2022, whichever date is earlier, in accordance with the usual Drug Tariff claims process.

Each claim must include the amount being claimed towards unavoidable costs, the reference number(s) from the relevant NHSE&I regional team approving the costs and a declaration that the contractor has met the cost and that they can provide evidence to support the claim if requested by NHSBSA.

When using the MYS platform, contractors should ensure they only make a single claim for each calendar month, as subsequent submissions for that claim month will not be accepted by the platform.

Read the Drug Tariff content on funding for the flu vaccination service

Post-payment verification (PPV) process

NHSE&I is responsible for monitoring the provision of Advanced Services by contractors and they have a duty to assure themselves of the quality and probity of activity provided under the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework; PPV is one way in which they undertake this monitoring.

The NHSBSA Provider Assurance team undertake PPV on behalf of NHSE&I.

Further information on the PPV process for Advanced services

Return to the flu vaccination hub page