Book your flu jab ahead of winter
NHS England has opened the national flu vaccination booking systems earlier to help protect people before flu peaks in December and January.
Eligible groups, including people aged 65 and over, those with certain health conditions, care home residents and carers, and frontline health and social care workers, will be invited from Thursday 1 October.
Appointments will be available at GP practices and participating pharmacies, with vaccines given by injections, or in a nasal spray form for most children.
Are you eligible for the flu vaccine?
People with epilepsy are not automatically included in the clinical risk group unless they have respiratory difficulties due to a chronic neurological condition.
Letter of support
GPs can decide at their discretion which of their patients are eligible if they aren’t in one of these groups. Speak to your doctor if you have questions about whether you qualify. You can also use this letter from Dr Fergus Rugg-Gunn, Clinical Lead at the Chalfont Centre, Epilepsy Society, to support your case for eligibility.
Booking an appointment
If you're eligible for an NHS flu vaccine, you can:
- contact your GP surgery to book an appointment
- book a free NHS flu vaccination appointment at a pharmacy online or in the NHS App (if you're aged 18 or over)
- find a pharmacy that offers free NHS flu vaccination where you can walk-in and get vaccinated without an appointment (if you're aged 18 or over).
More information on the flu vaccine is available at: https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/