A small but important change to the 2026/27 flu programme that practices shouldn’t overlook.
NHS England has confirmed that, from 1 October 2026, people experiencing homelessness aged 16 and over will be eligible for an NHS flu vaccination following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
For most practices, the immediate question is:
How do we identify these patients?
At the time of writing, NHS England has not yet published detailed operational guidance on whether a specific SNOMED code will be required for flu call-and-recall purposes or payment claims.
However, this is a good opportunity to review how homelessness is currently recorded within your practice.
What practices can do now
✅ Review whether patients experiencing homelessness are being consistently coded.
✅ Run searches for existing homelessness or housing-status codes already recorded in the system.
✅ Consider whether there are patients known to the practice who may not yet be appropriately coded.
✅ Work with your reception, care navigation and safeguarding teams to ensure housing status is captured when relevant.
✅ Be ready to include this cohort in your flu call-and-recall process once further guidance is released.
Why this matters
If homelessness becomes a recognised flu eligibility cohort, practices will only be able to proactively invite patients if they can identify them.
As with many aspects of CQC and quality improvement, good coding creates visibility. If the information isn’t recorded, it’s difficult to demonstrate that patients have been identified, supported and offered appropriate care.
For now, it may be worth asking:
“If NHS England asked us tomorrow how many homeless patients we care for, could we answer confidently?”
That simple question could help ensure this vulnerable patient group doesn’t fall through the gaps.
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