Flu, Covid & RSV Vaccinations

General information

Seasonal flu and Covid vaccinations - 11th August 2024 update - please scroll down for Eligibility Criteria.

The Flu vaccination programme has changed this year. We are permitted to vaccinate from 3rd October 2024. The exception is for pregnant women who are eligible from 1 September 2024. See UK Health Security Agency explanation here.

We are planning our vaccination clinics to be held on Saturdays 5, 12 and 26 October where we aim, depending on eligibility, to give Flu AND/OR Covid vaccinations as we have in previous years. Please note we can only administer Covid vaccinations during a vaccination clinic due to multi-dose vials.

ALL ADULT PATIENTS WITH SMART PHONES WILL BE ABLE TO BOOK USING THE ACCUBOOK/ACCURX LINK WHICH WILL BE SENT BY TEXT WHEN VACCINE DELIVERIES ARE CONFIRMED.

CHILDREN - 2 & 3 year olds and AT-RISK school age children will be invited to book an appointment with the nurse from September as soon as the vaccines are available.

CHILDREN - school age (to year 11) NOT AT-RISK - will be offered the vaccination (nasal spray) at school.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccinations will be administered to eligible patients from September. These will be not be administered at the same time as Flu or Covid vaccinations. Eligible patients will be invited in due course (75 - 79 year olds). Further information for older adults can be found here in the Patient leaflet.

Pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant will also be eligible and should be vaccinated by the maternity team. If this is not possible, please contact the surgery. More information can be found here in the Patient leaflet.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv

We have our first RSV vaccination clinic on 14 September. As this is a new programme, we have only a limited number of appointments initially while we see what the demand from patients will be. These vaccines are expensive and bulky to store, we need to ensure our ordering matches demand and that we have room in our fridges for the incoming Flu and Covid vaccines. We are also avoiding giving this vaccine within 2 weeks of Flu and Covid vaccinations. If you can’t make our first clinic, don’t worry, there will be plenty more!

Eligibility for Flu and Covid Vaccinations - Autumn 2024

Eligibility for Flu and Covid vaccination is broadly similar but there are a few key differences, notably carers and household contacts of immunosuppressed patients. Please see below:

Eligibility for Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Vaccination Programme

·         Those aged 65 years and over (on 31 March 2025). Date of Birth before or on 31 March 1960.

·         Those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups as per table 4 here.

·         Children - School aged children (Reception to year 11) will be done in school. Children aged 2 and 3 on 31 August 2024 and school age children who are At-risk will be invited to be vaccinated at the surgery.

·         Pregnant women.

·         Those in long-stay residential care homes.

·         Health and Social Care workers. Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

·         Carers - in receipt of carer’s allowance or main carer of elderly or disabled person.

·         Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals.

Asthma patients eligibility for flu vaccinations: continuous or repeated use of inhaled or systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission.

Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccination Autumn 2024 Booster

·         Those aged 65 years and over (on 31 March 2025). Date of Birth before or on 31 March 1960.

·         Those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups as per tables 3 & 4 here. Please note these are risk groups are not exactly the same as the risk groups for flu vaccination.

·         Pregnant women.

·         Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults.

·         Frontline health and social care workers. Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

There must be at least 3 months between doses of Covid vaccine. If not, you may have your flu vaccine as soon as available and your Covid vaccine at a later date.

Asthma patients eligibility for covid vaccination: 2 or more courses of oral corticosteroids in the preceding 24 months OR maintenance oral corticosteroids OR 1 or more hospital admission for asthma in the preceding 24 months.