Toddlers will be able to get the free NHS nasal flu spray in pharmacies for the first time under plans to increase uptake.
Traditionally the spray was given to two and three-year-olds at their local GP surgery.
But now almost 4,000 pharmacies in England have signed up to deliver the spray, offering parents more choice.
Parents can book appointments or attend walk in sessions, NHS officials said.
It is hoped that the initiative will help drive up numbers who take up the offer of the spray, with figures showing that just over two in five eligible children took up the offer last year.
Between 2024/25 some 42.6% of two and three-year-olds took up the offer of the nasal spray, a slight decrease compared to 2023/24.
The NHS says that each winter in the UK thousands of children who do not have a health condition need hospital care because of flu.
It says that youngsters catch and spread flu “easily”, adding that the spray can protect them and those around them, such as elderly family members who are at high risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
Some 1.2 million toddlers are eligible for the free nasal spray.
NHS England said it is trying to “make it as convenient as possible for people to get protected”.
It said that in some areas of low uptake the vaccines will be offered in nurseries and in mobile vaccination buses.
Most children are given a nasal spray, but some can opt for an injection instead.
“For busy families, it can be hard to fit everything in, but parents will now be able to pop into a pharmacy in their local high street or supermarket to get their little ones protected ahead of winter, when bugs tend to circulate,” said Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England.
“Flu can make young children and toddlers seriously unwell, and vaccination is the best way to shield them, so we’re making it easier than ever before to get the vaccine closer to home.”
Dr Suzanna McDonald, flu vaccination programme lead at the UK Health Security Agency, added: “Flu can be a very nasty illness for anyone and every year thousands of children do end up in hospital with flu.
“Nobody wants this for their child, so do what is best and ensure they get their flu vaccine on time to give them this important protection.”
Janet Morrison, chief executive of Community Pharmacy England, said: “With a network of pharmacies in key locations where people live, work and shop, this new service should make it easier for parents to get their children protected.
“Increasing vaccination rates will help keep flu at bay in our communities this winter.”
Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: “By extending vaccination services to high street pharmacies for the first time, we’re making it easier than ever for families to get vital protection closer to home before the cold months hit.
“Last winter alone, flu accounted for more than 300,000 hospital bed days – and we cannot afford a repeat of that on our NHS this winter.”
