Flu & Covid Vaccinations

Who is eligible for a Flu Vaccination?

Groups eligible for influenza vaccinations are based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The programme aims to provide direct protection to those who are at higher risk of influenza associated morbidity and mortality and to reduce transmission to all age groups through the vaccination of children.

You will usually be administered the vaccine recommended by the JCVI. Please follow this link to see the approved vaccines for this year.

• Those aged 65 years and over.
• those aged 6 months and under 65 years in clinical risk groups, please see the list here:
  • respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis.
  • diabetes
  • heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
  • being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
  • chronic kidney disease
  • liver disease, such as hepatitis
  • some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
  • a learning disability
  • problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you’ve had your spleen removed
  • a weakened immune system as a result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
• Pregnant women.
• All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024.
• All primary school-aged children and all secondary school-aged children up to Year 11 (though this will usually be arranged by the child’s school).
• Those in long stay residential care homes.
• Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person.
• Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals.

All frontline health care workers, including both clinical and non-clinical staff who have contact with patients, should be offered the influenza vaccine to protect themselves and those they care for. Social care workers who are in direct contact with people who receive care and support services should also have the influenza vaccine provided by their employer. This should be provided by their employer as part of the organisation’s policy to prevent the transmission of infection. 

Cohorts that were eligible in the 2022 to 2023 season but that are not included in the cohorts for 2024 to 2025 are:

• Those aged 50 to 64 years that are not in an ‘at risk’ category.

Following the transition to living with COVID-19 with a firmly established vaccination programme in place, the temporary expansion to the flu programme is no longer required and this year’s flu vaccine offer has reverted back to those aged 65 and over.

Who is eligible for a Covid Vaccination?

Previous COVID-19 booster programmes offered vaccination to a larger group of individuals as part of the pandemic emergency response. The success of these programmes has enabled us to live with Covid and, this year, we are able to scale back the number of people who require an autumn booster.

The risk of developing severe COVID-19 continues to be strongly associated with increasing age and underlying health conditions and therefore the focus is on those at greatest risk of serious disease.

How do I book my covid and flu appointment?

If you are eligible you will receive a text with a link to book an appointment, alternatively you can telephone the surgery on 01752 776772.

What if I am housebound?

We will contact our household patients directly to offer an at-home flu vaccination. Unfortunately, we will not be able to provide more specific arrival times than those provided at the time of booking.

If you are newly housebound, please contact the surgery to inform us of this.

What if I cannot attend my covid and flu vaccination appointment?

If you are unable to attend your flu vaccination appointment, please cancel by telephone at 01752 776772.