The NHS has expanded access to its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme, opening eligibility to all adults aged 80 and over and to people living in care homes for older adults. The move, announced on 2 April 2026, is aimed at reducing serious lung infections and preventing potentially thousands of hospital admissions each year.
RSV is a common virus that affects the lungs and can be especially dangerous in older adults. According to NHS England, it can lead to bronchitis, pneumonia, flare-ups of existing lung disease and other long-term conditions, all of which may make breathing more difficult and result in hospital treatment. The organisation said RSV causes around 9,000 hospitalisations in people aged over 75 in the UK each year.
Programme widened to reach around 3 million more people
The updated programme now covers around 3 million additional people. Before 1 April 2026, the vaccine was available to adults turning 75 and those aged 75 to 79 when the programme began in September 2024. Women remain eligible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to help protect their babies from serious lung infections, and those groups continue to qualify if they have not yet been vaccinated.
NHS Director of Vaccination and Screening Delivery Michelle Kane said RSV is “not just a winter illness” and urged eligible people to come forward for vaccination, including over the Easter period. She said the vaccine has been shown to reduce the chance of people aged 75 and over ending up in hospital with RSV infection. NHS England
Protection for older adults and pressure on hospitals
Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist and RSV Lead at the UK Health Security Agency, said the infection is less well known than COVID or flu, but can be particularly dangerous for older adults and can put thousands of people in hospital each year with a risk to life. He said new evidence from UK public health agencies shows the vaccine cuts the risk of hospitalisation by around 75% for people aged 75 and over.
Stephen Kinnock, Health Minister, said the expansion is another step in protecting those most at risk and reducing pressure on the NHS. He added that people eligible for the vaccine should come forward as soon as they are invited by their GP.
The vaccine can be booked through GP practices, with care-home staff able to help residents access it. Some community pharmacies in parts of England are also offering the RSV vaccine, widening access for older adults who may be at greater risk of severe illness.
For the NHS, the latest expansion reflects a broader effort to prevent avoidable admissions among older people, particularly those already living with long-term conditions or in care settings where respiratory infections can spread quickly. With RSV continuing to circulate throughout the year, health officials are urging eligible people not to delay vaccination.
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