Letter of support for flu vaccine
The Government is encouraging people in eligible groups to get vaccinated against seasonal ‘flu this winter.
The list of those eligible includes the following groups:
- Care home residents
- Adults aged 65 and over
- Children eligible for the vaccination as part of the children’s flu programme
- Those who are pregnant
- Those with certain underlying health conditions, listed in the JCVI clinical risk group, which can be found here: Greenbook chapter 19: Influenza (page 14)
- Those who are eligible for a carer’s allowance, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.
However, 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).