Female nurse typing at computer at clinic nurses station

Practice Manager Implementation Toolkit

Enhance your practice’s capacity to deliver the Shingles National Immunisation Programme (NIP) with the Shingles Vaccination Forecasting Tool, and understand how you can leverage your practice team to maximise delivery of the programme.

Adverse events reporting and prescribing information can be found at the bottom of the page.

Healthcare professionals have been consulted by GSK and received honorarium.

Practice Managers are critical to the organisation and coordination of their practice team in implementing the Shingles NIP

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Shingles is more than just a rash, it can be a painful, debilitating disease that can lead to serious and long-lasting complications.1,2,3 It is estimated that 1 in 4 people in the UK develop shingles in their lifetime, with an overall incidence of between 1.85 – 3.9 cases per 1,000 people in the UK in 2024.2,4

How does shingles impact healthcare resources at a national and practice level?

The long-term complications of shingles may result in patients repeatedly returning, which in turn impacts your clinic's time, resources and capacity. With many eligible patients remaining unvaccinated and more patients continuing to become eligible, a more proactive and systematic approach to vaccination is required. Not only does this benefit patients by helping to protect them from shingles, but also the practice and wider healthcare system through reduced GP appointments and hospitalisations.5,8

In England, the Shingles NIP contributes towards your Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), and practices will also receive an item of service fee (£10.06) for each dose delivered in line with national guidance.6,7

Vaccine uptake data for the Shingles NIP in England (data from UK Health Security Agency):

Severely Immunocompromised patients aged 50 years

19.3%

of eligible severely immunocompromised patients who turned 50 and over from 1st September 2023 to 31st August 2024, had received their first dose of their shingles vaccine by 23rd October 20248

Immunocompetent
65-year-olds

29.9%

of adults who turned 65 between 1st Sep 2023 and 31st August 2024 had received their first dose of their shingles vaccination by 23rd October 20248

Immunocompetent
70-year-olds

41.2%

of adults who turned 70 between 1st Sep 2023 and 31st August 2024 had received their first dose of their shingles vaccination by 23rd October 20248

Shingles Vaccination Forecasting Tool

Use this interactive tool to support you in determining how to plan and schedule shingles vaccination clinics, to drive uptake in a way that is manageable for your practice.

Complete the fields below to determine an estimated timeframe to complete vaccination of your eligible patients, as well as determine changes that your practice can make to help to protect patients more efficiently.

Rounded to the nearest 0.5 to capture part-time vaccinators you may have.
Of a single patient.
Total number of eligible patients that need vaccinating.

No information entered will be saved or stored by GSK. This tool provides an estimation only. Other factors outside of those inputted, for example change-over time between individuals getting their vaccinations or vaccinators taking time between vaccinations to complete documentation and/or prepare for their next vaccination are not incorporated.

How can a Practice Manager support the delivery of the Shingles NIP?

How could Practice Managers be involved in the Shingles NIP?

  • Support the practice team in setting up a patient identification system, and establishing a call and recall system for eligible patients for the shingles vaccination
  • Proactively plan practice capacity, staffing and practice resources to set up dedicated shingles vaccination appointments or clinics
  • Oversee financial administration for the practice, including the Quality and Outcomes framework and item of service fees where applicable6,7
  • Set time-bound goals and create an action plan to achieve your practice shingles vaccination targets
  • Monitor the Shingles NIP delivery success by tracking vaccine uptake levels in your practice and proactively addressing eligible patients that remain unvaccinated

Leverage your practice team to maximise the NIP delivery

Practices are often incredibly busy delivering the multiple other national immunisation programmes on top of the standard day-to-day appointment and expectations of a GP practice.

A collaborative practice team could help you to achieve your practice goals for the shingles vaccinations and help protect more eligible patients against shingles.

How could you build and manage your shingles team?

  • Assign an Immunisation lead in the practice to oversee the Shingles NIP.
  • Form a working group of key practice staff to drive accountability and involvement in the organisation and implementation of the Shingles NIP.
  • Support your practice staff with training on shingles and the National Immunisation Programme, ensuring their knowlegde remains up-to-date. This should include all members of the team engaged at any stage of the process for example those repsonsible for performing system searches to identify eligible patients, inviting patients for vaccination, to physically delivering each dose.
  • Schedule frequent time (e.g. monthly) for the team to discuss implementation of the Shingles National Immunisation Programme. Use this time to discuss any updates to the programme, determine what is working well for the practice and brainstorm solutions to any barriers that the team are experiencing.
  • Ensure regular review of shingles vaccination uptake within the practice, to determine uptake levels and ensure eligible patients are not missed.
  • Encourage clear lines of communication between the team for a seamless process.
  • Develop and document your shingles practice protocol for the team to refer to.

Both clinical and non-clinical practice staff are crucial to the delivery of a successful and efficient Shingles NIP. Use the interactive buttons below to explore the benefits of both Administration & Data Management and Clinical roles.

Vaccinator iconGraph icon

Administration & Data Management Roles9

  • They play an instrumental part in identifying, call and recalling patients for their shingles vaccine, as well as determining the level of uptake within the practice
  • They can play a key part in driving uptake, by being an accessible member of the GP practice for the patients. They can inform and educate the patient on shingles, the benefits of vaccination to help protect them and address any concerns, ultimately driving clinic attendance and vaccine course completion
  • They can signpost any queries or concerns patients have to a clinician about having their shingles vaccination to help with uptake
  • Communication between administration, reception, rota clerks and clinicians is essential to ensure a seamless process
  • Ensure invitations are sent to your patients using their preferred method of communication, and include key information such as what shingles is and how they can book a vaccination

Clinical Roles9,10

  • Ensuring accountability of an Immunisation lead within the practice team
  • Increasing awareness of the burden of shingles and proactivity to address it amongst clinical colleagues
  • Ensure the practice team has the most up to date information and guidance regarding the Shingles NIP
  • Ensure all necessary clinical training is completed, and that the team continue to have an up-to-date understanding of the programme and eligibility in line with The Green Book
  • Managing ImmForm account logins, ordering and storage of vaccine
  • Check ImmForm regularly for vaccine uptake coverage and update the team
  • Ensuring vaccine incident reporting and protocols are followed
  • Ensure correct recording and coding of 1st and 2nd dose of vaccine for data extractions around uptake and item of service fees
  • Ensuring vaccine protocols are implemented and adhered to
  • Address patient concern or hesitancy around shingles vaccination
  • Raise patient awareness of the burden of shingles and its potential impact on quality of life, as well as the opportunity to receive vaccination for free

What additional resources could support you to optimise your practice's delivery of the shingles NIP?

Shingles NIP Implementation Checklist

Shingles NIP Implementation Checklist

Download our helpful checklist to help you organise a dedicated shingles vaccination clinic and tick off each step once you complete it.

Download the Checklist
Shingles NIP Implementation Planning Tool

Shingles NIP Implementation Planning Tool

Download our programme implementation planning tool and use it to set up shingles vaccination clinics and monitor success.

Download the Planning Tool
References
  1. Johnson RW, et al. BMC Medicine. 2010;8:37.
  2. UKHSA Green Book: Shingles (herpes zoster): the green book chapter.
  3. Van Oorschot D, McGirr A, Goulet P, et al. Infect Dis Ther 2022;11:501-516.
  4. UK NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries, 2025. Shingles: How common is it?
  5. Andrews N, et al. BMJ Open. 2020;10:e037458.
  6. NHS England. Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for 2025/2026. Published March 2025.
  7. UK Health Security Agency: Introduction of Shingrix vaccine for the whole programme and expansion of eligible cohorts letter. Published 4th July 2023.
  8. UK Health Security Agency. Shingrix vaccine uptake report (adults eligible from September 2023 to August 2024 and vaccinated to the end of October 2024): England. Updated October 2025. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shingles-immunisation-programme-shingrix-evaluation-reports/shingrix-vaccine-uptake-report-adults-eligible-from-september-2023-to-august-2024-and-vaccinated-to-the-end-of-october-2024-england. (Last Accessed: February 2026)
  9. UK Health Security Agency. National minimum standards and core curriculum for vaccination training. Published June 2025. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6855b286b46781eacfd71dc9/UKHSA_National_Minimum_Standards_for_immunisation_training_2025.pdf
  10. NHS England. General practice vaccination and immunisation services: standards and core contractual requirements. Published December 2025. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/general-practice-vaccination-and-immunisation-services-standards-and-core-contractual-requirements-2/

February 2026 | PM-GB-HZU-WCNT-250001

For the SHINGRIX® (herpes zoster vaccine, recombinant, adjuvanted) prescribing information, click here.