Seasonal Flu Vaccination

Needle and syringe

Flu Vaccine Clinics - Eligible Patients

We are running flu vaccination clinics on the 5th of October and the 12th of October for eligible patients - invites will be sent out to those eligible to attend with a booking link.

If all the appointments are booked we will open up another clinic.

Please do not contact the surgery to book. 

If you are eligible for the covid vaccine, and we have stock, you will be offered this at the Flu Clinic. 

Pregnant Ladies holding baby bump

Flu Vaccination - Pregnant Women

Flu Vaccinations are available for pregnant women from the 1st of September 2024. Invites have been sent out.

Flu Vaccinations

Flu (also known as Influenza) is a highly infectious illness caused by the flu virus. It spreads rapidly through small droplets coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious and they usually recover within a week. 

Studies have shown that flu vaccines provide effect protection against the flu, although protection may not be complete and may vary between people. Protection from the vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains change over time. Therefore, new vaccines are made each year and people at risk of flu are encouraged to be vaccinated every year. 

The flu vaccine is offered to people in at-risk groups such as the elderly or pregnant women. These people are at greater risk of developing serious complications if they catch flu.

Should I get the Flu Vaccination?

For most people, flu is unpleasant but not serious. You will usually recover within a week.

However, certain people are at greater risk of developing serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These conditions may require hospital treatment.

The flu vaccine is offered free to people who are at risk, to protect them from catching flu and developing serious complications.

At-risk groups

It is recommended that you have a flu jab if you fall into one or more of the following categories:

  • are 65 years old or over 
  • all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu  season)
  • all those aged two, three, and four years old (but not five years or older)
  • have a serious medical condition (see below)
  • are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility (not including prisons, young offender institutions or university halls of residence)
  • people who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
  • are a frontline health or social care worker (see below)

If you are the parent of a child who is over six months old and has a long-term condition on the list below, speak to your GP about the flu vaccine. Your child's condition may get worse if they catch flu.

Pregnant women

It is recommended that all pregnant women should have the flu vaccine, whatever stage of pregnancy they're in.

This is because there is good evidence that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu.

Studies have shown that the flu vaccine can be safely and effectively given during any trimester of pregnancy. The vaccine does not carry risks for either the mother or baby. In fact, studies have shown that mothers who have had the vaccine while pregnant pass some protection to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.

People with medical conditions

The flu vaccine is offered free to anyone who is over six months of age and has one of the following medical conditions:

If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be able to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP about this.

Frontline health or social care workers

Employers are responsible for ensuring that arrangements are in place for frontline healthcare staff to have the flu vaccine.

Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings, and staff, patients and residents are at risk of infection.

Frontline health and social care staff should protect themselves by having the flu vaccine to prevent the spread of flu to colleagues and other members of the community.

If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, speak to your GP about getting vaccinated against seasonal flu. You should also ensure that the person you care for has the flu jab.

Children

An annual nasal spray flu vaccine will be offered to all children aged two, three or four years as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.

It will also be offered to children aged 2-18 with long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease.

Children aged six months to 2 years with long-term health conditions aren't able to have the nasal spray and will get the injected flu vaccine instead.


Who cannot have the flu vaccine

Most people who are eligible for the flu vaccine can have it.

You only cannot have the vaccine if you've had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose of the vaccine or an ingredient in the vaccine.

Some of the flu vaccines used in the UK contain egg protein. Tell the person vaccinating you if you have an egg allergy.

 

Is this year's vaccine safe?

Although no medical procedure is totally free of risk, flu vaccines are generally very safe. The most common reaction to the jab is a sore arm, or you may feel hot for a day or two after the vaccination.

This year’s flu jabs have been tested and approved for use across the UK and in Europe. The jab cannot give you flu because it doesn't contain any active viruses.

The Department of Health recommends that everyone who is eligible for a flu jab should have it as soon as the vaccine is available.

If you are in an at-risk group and do not have the jab, you will have a greater risk of developing serious complications or even dying if you get flu this winter.

If you haven't had the flu vaccine and you are in a risk group, make an appointment to get vaccinated.

Find out more about the flu vaccine, including how the vaccine is made and how it protects you.

Flu vaccine for children

The annual nasal spray flu vaccine is now offered to all children aged two, three and four years as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.

In certain geographic areas the spray will also be offered to children aged 2-18 with long-term health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and lung disease.  Please contact the surgery for further information if required.

Children aged six months to 2 years with long-term health conditions aren't able to have the nasal spray and will get the injected flu vaccine instead.

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