NHS and Private Flu Vaccination Service

The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It's offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu. The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before the flu starts spreading. But you can get the vaccine later.

Why Flu vaccine is important- 

Flu vaccination is important because, while flu is unpleasant for most people, it can be dangerous and even life threatening for some people, particularly those with certain health conditions.

Who can have the flu vaccine under NHS funded program?

For the 2023 to 2024 influenza season, influenza vaccine could be offered at NHS expense to the following groups under the community pharmacy seasonal influenza vaccination advanced service:

• Individuals aged 65 years or over (including those becoming age 65 years by 31 March 2025)
• Individuals aged from 18 years to under 65 years of age in a clinical risk group category such as those with:
• chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as asthma that requires continuous or repeated use of inhaled or systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or chronic bronchitis
• chronic heart disease and vascular disease
• chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5
• chronic liver disease
• chronic neurological disease, such as Parkinson’s disease or motor neurone disease,
• learning disability
• diabetes and adrenal insufficiency
• asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen
• immunosuppression, a weakened immune system due to illness (such as HIV/AIDS) or treatment (such as cancer treatment)
• morbidly obese adults with a BMI of 40kg/m² and above.
• all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the influenza season)
• People living in long stay care residential care homes or other long stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality. This does not include, for instance, prisons, young offender institutions, university halls of residence or boarding school
• Household contacts (aged 18 years and over) of immunocompromised individuals, specifically individuals who expect to share living accommodation on most days over the winter and, therefore, for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable
• Carers 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
• Frontline staff without employer led occupational health schemes, employed:
•  by a registered residential care or nursing home or registered domiciliary care provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable individuals who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza
• voluntary managed hospice provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable individuals who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza.
• through Direct Payments (personal budgets) and/or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants, to deliver domiciliary care to individuals
• to deliver social care services and are in direct contact with those who are clinically vulnerable to flu, who receive care and support services from the social care provider

For patients who are not eligible for NHS flu vaccination service could avail the service privately for £17.99 for cell- based vaccine (QIVc)