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Immunisation and vaccination
Being up to date with routine vaccinations helps prevent you, your family, and others from becoming unwell. More here: Why vaccination is important
If you’re not sure about you or your child’s vaccine status your GP surgery can advise. You may also be able to view your status via the NHS app
Vaccinations this winter
Vaccination helps ease pressures on the NHS during the busy winter months.
Covid-19
The Covid-19 winter booster vaccination programme will vaccinate those most at risk. You can book a vaccine appointment online at: Book, change, or cancel a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online
If you are also eligible for a flu vaccine you may be offered this at the same time.
The Covid-19 vaccine is available to:
- anyone aged 65 years and over
- residents in a care home for older adults
- anyone aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group (as defined in tables 3 or 4 here)
- frontline NHS and social care workers, and those working in care homes for older people. Employers should signpost these staff to the most convenient COVID-19 vaccination offer. This may be through NBS, where staff can self-declare their eligibility.
For anyone newly diagnosed as immunosuppressed or who fit eligibilty criteria, please contact your GP or hospital specialist to request vaccination outside the seasonal programme.
Further Covid-19 vaccine service information here: COVID-19 services – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Flu
The flu vaccine is offered on the NHS every year in autumn or early winter to help protect people at risk of flu and its complications. You can book a vaccine appointment online at: Book, change or cancel a free NHS flu vaccination at a pharmacy
If you are also eligible for a flu vaccine you may be offered this at the same time.
Your GP won’t prescribe antibiotics as they do not work for viral infections like the flu – antibiotics won’t relieve symptoms or speed up your recovery.
The jab is available from 1 September to:
- pregnant women
- all children aged 2 or 3 years old (on 31 August 2024)
- all primary school-aged children (from Reception class to Year 6)
- secondary school-aged children from Years 7 to 11
- all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years
From 3 October the vaccine will be available to:
- those aged 18 to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
- those aged 65 years and over
- 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
- locum GPs
- Social care staff without an employer-led occupational health scheme can also access the flu vaccination through their GP, community pharmacy or NBS.
- those living in long-stay residential care homes or nursing homes, other long-stay health or social care facilities or a house-bound patient.
Find more on symptoms and how to treat flu here: Flu – NHS
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
RSV is a very common virus and causes hundreds of thousands of infections across the UK each winter.
For the first time from 1 September the NHS will offer vaccines for RSV, a common cause of coughs and colds which can be dangerous to older people and young children.
The jab will be available to those:
- aged 75 to 79 (your GP will send an RSV vaccination invite)
- pregnant women from 28 weeks, to protect their babies (speak to your maternity service or GP surgery about the vaccine)
Find out more here: What is RSV and is there a vaccine? – UK Health Security Agency (blog.gov.uk
MMR vaccine vaccine
The MMR vaccine helps prevent against Measles, Mumps and RubellaTwo doses of the MMR vaccine give excellent lifelong protection so if you or your child have missed out, contact your GP surgery to book. Your GP will offer your child one vaccine dose when they are a year old and another at 3 years, 4 months. Both doses are needed to be fully protected.
Whooping cough
Whooping cough (pertussis) is an infection of the lungs and breathing tubes.
It spreads very easily and can be serious.
The whooping cough vaccine is given:
- The 6-in-1 vaccine – for babies at 8, 12 and 16 weeks
- The 4-in-1 pre-school booster – for children aged 3 years 4 months
If you’re pregnant you should also have the whooping cough vaccine. You usually have it when you’re around 20 weeks pregnant. This helps protect your baby for the first few weeks of their life.
Speak to your GP surgery or midwife if you’re 20 weeks pregnant and have not been offered the whooping cough vaccine.
School age vaccines
School age children are offered routine vaccines at school, but if they missed these for any reason or your child is home schooled, speak to your GP surgery to get a catch-up vaccine.
Routine vaccines include:
- Td/IVP: Tetanus, Diphtheria and Polio
- Men ACWY: Meningitis and septicaemia
- HPV: Human papillomavirus
- MMR: Measles Mumps and Rubella
- Dtap: Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough)
Shingles
The shingles vaccine is recommended for:
- anyone aged 50+ with a severely weakened immune system
- anyone turning 65 on or after September 2023
- anyone aged 70 to 79
Shingles is a common condition that causes a painful rash. It can sometimes lead to more serious problems.
Being vaccinated reduces the chance of catching shingles and if you do catch it, reduces the possibility of more serious problems developing.
The shingles vaccine programme aims to offer the vaccine to those eligible all year around, with individuals becoming eligible as they celebrate their birthdays throughout the year.
Find out more about why you may have to wait for your shingles vaccine here. The vaccine programme aims to support the NHS and GP Practices to deliver the programme in a manageable way. Eventually offering the vaccine when people becoming eligible as they celebrate their birthdays throughout the year.
More information, including a handy eligibilty calculator can be found here: getshinglesready.co.u
