Correspondence

HPV immunisation programme: changes from April 2022 letter

Published 24 February 2022

Applies to England

NHS England – NHS Improvement regional directors

NHS England – NHS Improvement directors of commissioning

NHS England – NHS Improvement directors of public health and primary care

NHS England – NHS Improvement heads of public health commissioning

NHS England – NHS Improvement heads of primary care

NHS England – NHS Improvement public health commissioning teams

Clinical commissioning groups clinical leaders

Clinical commissioning groups accountable officers

General practitioners

Local medical committees

Local authority chief executives

Local authority directors of public health

Specialist sexual health services

HIV clinics

For information

Chief pharmacists of NHS Trusts

NHS Foundation Trusts

NHS Trusts

24 February 2022

Changing to a 2-dose NHS human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination schedule for eligible adolescents and adults starting the course after they turn 15 years old, including men who have sex with men (MSM)

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Dear Colleague,

This letter provides information about a change to the national NHS universal (HPV) vaccination programme from 1 April 2022, when those eligible adolescents and adults who start the course on or after they turn 15 years old, will require 2 doses of HPV vaccine at least 6 months apart – instead of 3 doses – to complete the course. The same applies to anyone receiving the vaccine through the NHS MSM HPV vaccination programme. This is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

This letter is aimed at health professionals who are responsible for commissioning and operationally delivering the national NHS Universal HPV vaccination programme and the NHS MSM HPV vaccination programme. We encourage you to share this guidance with all those involved in delivering the programme in your area.

Key points about the change to the programme:

• from 1 April 2022, those individuals who would have been eligible to receive 3 doses of HPV vaccine ( eligible MSM, and those aged from 15 to 25 years of age who are completely unvaccinated and remain eligible under the adolescent programme), will only require 2 doses at least 6 months apart to be fully vaccinated
• a 3-dose schedule should still be offered to individuals who are known to be HIV-infected, including those on antiretroviral therapy, or are known to be immunocompromised at the time of vaccination
• individuals who start the NHS HPV vaccination programme prior to April 2022 should continue on the planned 3-dose schedule – those who commence prior to April 2022 whose schedule is interrupted or delayed such that they had an interval of 6 months or more between their first and second dose only need a 2-dose schedule (do not require a third dose)
• as set out in our previous letter, the vaccine for both groups eligible for the national NHS HPV vaccination programme is changing from Gardasil® to Gardasil® 9 during 2022 with more information to follow
• there is no change to the eligibility criteria for the programme

Information provided in the annexes of this letter:

Annexe A - detailed information and guidance for healthcare professionals

Annexe B – vaccine coverage data collection

Annexe C – vaccination records and data capture

Annexe D – supporting programme resources

If you have any further queries, in the first instance please contact your NHSEI Regional S7a Public Health Commissioning Team or email immunisation@phe.gov.uk

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in commissioning and operationally delivering the national NHS Universal HPV vaccination programme and the NHS MSM HPV vaccination programme.

Yours faithfully,

Deborah Tomalin

NHS England and NHS Improvement, Director of Public Health Commissioning and Operations

Dr Mary Ramsay

UK Health Security Agency, Director of Public Health Programmes (including Immunisation)