NHS England has produced an interactive e-learning course on vaccination. It consists of 7 learning sessions, including one on immunisations in pregnancy and the post-natal period  and is available free of charge for all healthcare practitioners with a role in vaccination. Register here.  

The Royal College of Midwives has produced an e-learning module on flu vaccination in pregnant women. You can also find information about their live conferences, webinars and training.   

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issues the following national guidance: 

• The Green Book contains the latest information on vaccines and vaccination procedures, for vaccine preventable infectious diseases in the UK.  

• The Immunisation Collection contains further information on specific vaccine programmes, including planned changes to the schedule 

• The Vaccine Update newsletter for healthcare professionals 

• A  special issue of Vaccine Update focusing on vaccination in pregnancy special issue of their newsletter on 

• Webinars to help the vaccination workforce revise and update their knowledge of key areas 

If you have any questions about vaccine eligibility, schedule, spacing or compatibility, contact your relevant registered practitioner. You should contact the same person for advice if an error occurs. 

The following vaccinations are currently offered during pregnancy as part of the UK immunisation schedule:

• Whooping cough 

• Influenza

• RSV

Detailed information about the diseases, vaccines and the recommended schedule of administration is available from the relevant Green Book chapters, linked above. 

The following sources of information on the general principles of vaccination in pregnancy have been produced specifically for healthcare professionals: 

• Vaccination in pregnancy to protect the newborn (review article, April 2025)  

• Immunisations in pregnancy and post-natal period (e-learning, August 2021)  

• History and attitudes towards maternal vaccination (training slides, June 2021) 

• Influenza, COVID-19 and pertussis vaccination in pregnancy (training slides, July 2021) 

• Selective vaccination programmes for neonates (training slides, September 2021) 

• Vaccines for pre- and post-natal vaccination (training slides, August 2021) 

• Governance considerations, challenges, horizon scanning and resources (training slides, July 2021) 

Elsewhere on this website, you can find information on how vaccination in pregnancy works and details of each of the vaccines offered written for expectant parents: 

• Whooping cough  

• Influenza  

• RSV 

You may also find it helpful to direct expectant parents to:  

• The NHS website on vaccinations in pregnancy 

• The vaccine pages of Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy   

• This leaflet issued by UKHSA 

• This leaflet issued by the British Society for Immunology 

You can order paper copies of the UKHSA leaflet in a number of languages and download printable posters from the British Society for Immunology. 

Your patients may have questions about the contents of the vaccines they are offered. Answers to these questions for each of whooping cough, influenza and RSV vaccination is provided in the relevant sections. Patients who are concerned specifically about animal products for religious or ethical reasons may be reassured that none of the vaccines routinely offered in pregnancy contain these. Similarly, none of the vaccines routinely offered in pregnancy contain mercury. 

You may also find the following resources helpful: 

• How to talk about vaccines (the World Health Organisation) 

• Effective conversations about vaccination (the JITSUVAX project) 

• Common misconceptions about vaccination (the JITSUVAX project) 

The information above is relevant to all healthcare professionals involved in vaccination in pregnancy. This includes healthcare professionals who are not vaccinators themselves, but may act as important sources of information and support for expectant parents who are considering vaccination. 

In addition to this knowledge, vaccinators need to develop clinical skills in vaccination and apply their knowledge in practice. All new vaccinators, and those returning to vaccination after a prolonged interval, should spend time with a registered healthcare professional who is competent, knowledgeable, up to date and a clinically experienced confident vaccinator. New vaccinators should be supervised administering vaccines until both they and their supervisor feel confident that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to administer vaccines safely and competently. 

Vaccinators and their supervisors should use the competency tool to confirm that they meet the competencies that are relevant to their role and that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to administer vaccines. Once signed and dated, all vaccinators should retain the competency tool in their training records. 

This page has been designed to address relevant competencies from the national minimum standards and core curriculum for vaccination training. 

Competencies 1a,b  

Where can I find e-learning resources on vaccination?  

Competency 1c  

Where can I find the national guidance on vaccination in pregnancy?  

Competency 1d  

Where can I get advice if I am unsure about vaccination schedules, or if an error occurs? 

Competencies 1f-h 

Which vaccines are recommended in pregnancy in the UK? 

Competencies 1j,k  

Where can I learn more about vaccination in pregnancy?   

Competencies 3c,d 

Where can I find resources to help inform my patients?  

Competency 3e   

Where can I find resources to help me discuss misconceptions or controversies?   

Competencies specific to administering vaccines 

What training do I need if I will be administering vaccines?