Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme to be rolled out to thousands more older adults from September as data shows patchy take-up
The NHS is set to extend the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme to thousands more older adults from September, as eligibility broadens to include people aged 65 to 74 in defined clinical risk groups.
Adults aged 65 to 74 years with chronic respiratory disease or immunosuppression will become eligible for a single-dose RSV vaccine from 1 September this year, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
It comes as overall vaccine uptake across eligible older adults reached 63.7per cent by the end of April 2026, according government data published today.
The expansion is the latest phase of the national RSV programme, which has focused on progressively widening protection for populations at highest risk of severe respiratory illness and hospitalisation.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild symptoms, but in older adults can trigger serious lung infections such as pneumonia and drive significant hospital demand. In the UK, it is estimated to cause around 9,000 hospitalisations each year in people aged over 75, with those living in care homes or with underlying conditions at particularly high risk of severe illness and complications.
NHS vaccine eligibility was extended from April 2026 to all residents in care homes for older adults, regardless of age, alongside all adults aged 80 and over, building on the original programme launched in September 2024, which targeted adults turning 75 and included a catch-up cohort aged 75 to 79.
Uptake was stronger in the catch-up cohort, at 68.6 per cent, compared with 49.3 per cent in those newly eligible at age 75, while engagement varied widely in different regions and among different demographic groups, ranging from more than two thirds (68.5 per cent) in the South West to less than half (49.6 per cent) in London.
Meanwhile coverage was notably lower in more deprived communities, with uptake reaching just half (50.4 per cent) in the most deprived areas compared with nearly three quarters (71.9 per cent) in the least deprived areas
Guidance indicates care providers should support vaccination alongside primary care partners, with co-administration alongside other adult vaccines encouraged to maximise uptake.
The expansion comes ahead of the next winter respiratory season, with policymakers aiming to improve protection among populations at highest risk of severe illness and hospitalisation, including those living in residential care settings.
