Flu Vaccines Autumn 2024
NHS England has advised that we may start vaccinating the vast majority of the cohorts listed below from the 3rd October 2024 and not before this date.
The reasoning is listed on this webpage: When should you get your flu vaccine? – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The exceptions to this date are the 2 and 3 year old children, pregnant women and the very small number of patients who are due to start chemotherapy in October. These patients will be offered the vaccine from mid September.
The flu vaccine helps protect against flu, which can be a serious or life-threatening illness. It’s offered on the NHS every year in autumn or early winter to people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
The flu vaccine is very safe and makes a big difference in helping keep you and the local community healthy and out of hospital.
Who should have the flu vaccine
The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
You can get the free NHS flu vaccine if you:
- are aged 65 or over
- have certain long-term health conditions
- are pregnant
- live in a care home
- are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer’s allowance
- live with someone who has a weakened immune system
- are a child aged 2 or 3 years (will book in at the GP surgery)
- are a school-aged child (Reception to Year 11) – (Will have it administered at school)
- are a child aged 6 months to 17 years with certain long-term health conditions (will have it administered at school if school age children, younger children will have the vaccine at the GP)
Frontline health and social care workers can also get a flu vaccine through their employer.
All eligible patients will receive an SMS text message invite or a paper letter invite in the post if we don’t have a mobile telephone number on record.
If you receive an SMS booking link it will look something like this: https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com/2/Link?id=xxxxxxxxxxxx .
We will start sending invites in mid September. We will start by inviting the patients most in need of the vaccine first so please DO NOT CALL US TO BOOK YOUR VACCINE UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITE. If you have not received an invite by mid October then please contact our reception team to book.
We strongly advise patients to book via the booking link as you will be able to easily see all of the available appointments to help you to book an appointment at a convenient time. You can manage or cancel your appointment by clicking the original booking link.
If you are housebound, whereby you do not leave the house at all, then you or your carer will need to let our reception team know that you need a home visit for your flu vaccine. PLEASE ALSO ASK THE RECEPTIONIST TO ADD A HOUSEBOUND “READ CODE” TO YOUR RECORD. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS IT HELPS TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT MISSED OFF THE HOME VISIT VACCINE LIST.
The nurse’s flu vaccine appointments are very short in duration so that we can vaccinate as many people as possible. Please therefore try to be as efficient as you can when you attend by wearing loose fitting clothing/a T shirt so that it’s easy to administer the vaccine to the top of your arm. Please also remove large coats/jumpers when you arrive in the building to help speed the process up for the nurse.
We will not be offering the Covid vaccine, you will need to attend a local pharmacy for the Covid Vaccine.
Thank you for your co-operation.
Useful links and to read more:
When should you get your flu vaccine? – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The flu vaccination. Who should have it and why (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Protect yourself from flu, have the flu vaccine (publishing.service.gov.uk)