Home » Core Prescribing Solutions Blog » Vaccination Programme Planning for Primary Care Networks

Vaccination Programme Planning for Primary Care Networks

7th August 2026
Clinically reviewed by: Adeem Azhar, MPharm, IPres

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

PCN vaccination planning programme
Building vaccination workforce capacity
Call and recall best practice
Improving vaccine uptake

Effective vaccination programme planning is essential to delivering safe, efficient and high-performing seasonal vaccination services. For Primary Care Networks (PCNs), successful vaccination delivery in primary care depends on population health management, workforce capacity, and coordinated call and recall.

Key Takeaways

Plan early: NHS Enhanced Service sign-up deadlines fall in February and July. Late registration risks delayed vaccine supply.
Use population health management: Effective population health management identifies eligible cohorts by risk before the campaign begins, prioritising outreach where it matters most.
Coordinate your workforce: Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians are well-placed to lead clinics.
Focus on patient recall: Targeted outreach improves uptake better than mass messaging.

PCN vaccination planning programme

Primary Care Network staff reviewing governance, vaccine supply, shared clinic sites and readiness for a seasonal vaccination programme. — Early planning helps PCNs align governance, vaccine supply, shared sites and clinical capacity before clinics begin.

Every successful vaccination programme starts with effective planning. PCNs should establish governance, workforce capacity, and patient identification well before the first clinic is delivered.

Good population health management helps PCNs align clinical capacity with the expected demand from their registered populations. The foundation of any seasonal vaccination programme is the NHS England Enhanced Service specification. Meeting the strict sign-up deadlines is essential. Practices operating within a PCN grouping can collaborate to deliver vaccines across shared sites. A formal collaboration agreement should outline vaccine sharing, site designation, and governance.

Building vaccination workforce capacity

Clinical pharmacist and pharmacy technician coordinating vaccine preparation, patient screening, stock management and clinical governance within a PCN team. — Clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can strengthen vaccination delivery through governance, screening, preparation and workflow support.

Effective vaccination workforce planning ensures PCNs have the Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians needed to deliver a safe, high-volume vaccination programme.

Expert insight from Adeem Azhar, qualified Clinical Pharmacist and CEO

The pharmacists who thrive in PCNs are those who receive proper integration, supervision, and role clarity from day one. Where PCNs invest in their pharmacy workforce, patient outcomes and practice stability improve.

Adeem Azhar, MPharm, IPres
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer – Core Prescribing Solutions
Qualified Clinical Pharmacist

A dedicated Clinical Pharmacist support service can lead the clinical governance, manage complex patient queries, and oversee co-administration protocols. Meanwhile, Pharmacy Technician support is invaluable for managing stock, preparing vaccines, and conducting initial patient screenings. Integrating these roles ensures that GPs are freed up to focus on complex acute care.

Call and recall best practice

PCN team using population health data to direct telephone, SMS, home and care-home outreach to different eligible vaccination cohorts. — Targeted call and recall helps PCNs match outreach to patient need instead of relying only on mass messaging.

Effective call and recall is the most significant driver for improving vaccine uptake. PCNs should leverage population health management data to identify eligible patients and stratify them by clinical risk.

Rather than sending a single mass text message, a targeted patient recall strategy yields better results. High-risk eligible cohorts may need a phone call. Healthy adults in priority cohorts often respond well to SMS booking links. Population health management data should also inform specific outreach for housebound patients and care home residents. Protecting these at-risk patients early in the flu vaccination programme is a priority.

Improving vaccine uptake

Patients accessing seasonal vaccination through enhanced-access, weekend, community pop-up and opportunistic primary care appointments. — Enhanced access, community clinics, weekend appointments and opportunistic vaccination can help reduce barriers to seasonal immunisation.

Improving vaccine uptake requires removing barriers to access. PCNs can achieve this by offering enhanced access clinics, weekend appointments, and community-based pop-up clinics.

Co-administration is another highly effective vaccination programme strategy. Where clinically appropriate per the Green Book, offering multiple vaccines in one visit halves the appointments required. This convenience is proven to drive higher uptake rates. Furthermore, opportunistic vaccinations should be encouraged. If an eligible cohort member attends a routine appointment, the clinician should check their vaccination status and vaccinate opportunistically.

Healthcare professional checking eligibility, recording a vaccination and coordinating safe follow-up within a PCN clinical workflow. — Safe vaccination delivery depends on appropriate clinical checks, accurate records, clear governance and coordinated follow-up.

FAQs

When should PCNs sign up to the NHS seasonal vaccination programme Enhanced Service?

Practices must indicate willingness to participate by specific deadlines – typically February for the spring campaign and July for the autumn campaign.

Can Clinical Pharmacists administer vaccines under the Enhanced Service?

Yes. Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians with the necessary training and legal authorisation can administer vaccines as part of a PCN vaccination programme.

How are vaccination events recorded?

For the 2026/27 GP Enhanced Service, routine vaccination events are recorded in GP IT clinical systems such as EMIS, SystmOne, or Vision 3. Point of Care (PoC) systems apply only in specific PCN grouping collaboration scenarios.

Looking for support with your PCN pharmacy workforce?

If your PCN needs additional workforce capacity for an upcoming vaccination programme, our experienced Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can help you plan, deliver and support safe, effective vaccination services. Find out more about the role of Clinical Pharmacists in PCNs.

Get in touch →

Adeem Azhar, MPharm, IPres

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Qualified Clinical Pharmacist

Fervent about healthcare, technology and making a human difference.

Adeem writes about Healthcare, wellness, medicines management, medicines optimisation and workforce planning, drawing on his experience supporting GP practices and NHS organisations across nationally.

Adeem is a thought leader and is passionate about using healthcare and technology to improve patient outcomes, enhances access to healthcare services and to support NHS teams.