Vaccinations National Booking Service

We're providing systems that enable people to book appointments across England.

The Vaccinations National Booking Service is made up of:

• an online booking service available to the public on the NHS website to book a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination appointment
• an online booking service available to the public on the NHS website to book or manage a free NHS flu vaccination at a pharmacy
• an appointment management system for staff working at vaccination centres and community pharmacies offering coronavirus and flu vaccinations - Q-Flow
• an app for checking people into their appointments when they arrive at vaccination sites - the Check a vaccination appointment service (Check-In App)
• a training tool for 119 agents to familiarise themselves with the various booking journeys so they can support the public

NHS App users can also book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination appointment.

There is also a telephone service, 119, for people who cannot or do not want to use the online booking service. NHS England runs this. The phoneline operators use the Book a coronavirus vaccination service on behalf of callers.

The coronavirus vaccination booking service will accept appointment bookings from people who have received a notification from the NHS, through the national service by text or letter, asking them to book. People who have not received a notification may also be eligible to book using the service.

The service accepts bookings from eligible people registered with a GP in England. 

Users provide their NHS number which is used to check they are eligible, and helps ensure that information about their vaccination is saved to their medical records. Those without an NHS number can be vaccinated at walk-in sites.

Users can book first, second doses, and booster appointments, as recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The service sends users a booking confirmation, by text message or email, which they take to the vaccination centre when they go to their appointment.

The service also allows people to cancel and re-book their appointments if they need to.

The flu vaccination booking service will accept appointment bookings from people who have received a notification from the NHS, through the national service by text or letter, asking them to book. People who have not received a notification may also be eligible to book using the service.

The service accepts bookings from eligible people that are registered with a GP in England. 

Users provide their NHS number, which is used to check they are eligible, and helps ensure that information about their vaccination is saved to their medical records.

Users can book an appointment for the current season of flu vaccination.

The service sends users a booking confirmation, by text message or email, which they take to the vaccination centre when they go to their appointment.

The service also allows people to cancel and re-book their appointments if they need to.

Q-Flow is used by staff working at the sites offering vaccinations. It is linked to the online booking service. Users are assigned to a user group within Q-Flow, which determines their permissions and the tasks they can perform. 

Following assurance and confirmation of completion of readiness assessments, NHS Digital will create the site in the Vaccinations National Booking Service and create a Q-Flow user account for the lead IT admin (site manager user). Site manager users will then be able to set up site attributes and schedule appointments in Q-Flow, to allow patients to book via the National Booking Service. 

Staff can also use Q-Flow to edit appointment availability, and view and manage booked appointments.

Check a vaccination appointment service (Check-In app) is a separate app to Q-Flow and allows sites to check patients in. 

When someone arrives at a vaccination centre for their booked appointment, staff who have been authorised to use the Check-In app will:

1. Search for the appointment on the system using the booking reference or name and date of birth.
2. Confirm whether the person attending the appointment is eligible to be vaccinated.
3. Check the citizen into the appointment if appropriate

A training tool for 119 call agents working on the NHS COVID-19 vaccine booking service, to familiarise themselves with the various booking journeys so they can support the public.

More information and guidance on the service. 

People who use the NHS App can also book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination appointment. A menu option displayed within the app provides the same online coronavirus (COVID-19) booking service but uses the login credentials already given when logging into the NHS App.

You must be logged in to the NHS App to use this feature.