Flu Clinics and COVID-19 Boosters

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 winter to people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. Our main Flu clinics are on Sunday 04/10/26, Sunday 11/10/26 and Sunday 18/10/26. Eligible patients will be invited by text message or email address with a link to book an appointment. You can also give us a call on 01590 672953 to book a vaccination.

You can get the free NHS flu vaccine if you:

are aged 65 or over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2027)
are aged 18 to 64 and have certain long-term health conditions (see below)
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

The flu vaccine is recommended for people with certain long-term health conditions, including:

conditions that affect your breathing, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis
heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
chronic kidney disease
liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis
some conditions that affect your brain or nerves, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy
diabetes or Addison’s disease
a weakened immune system due to a condition such as HIV or AIDS, or due to a treatment such as chemotherapy or steroid medicine
problems with your spleen, such as sickle cell disease, or if you’ve had your spleen removed
a learning disability
being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above

If you have a long-term health condition and you’re not sure if you’re eligible for the flu vaccine, please contact the Surgery or speak to your specialist.

COVID BOOSTERS

COVID-19 booster vaccinations will be offered to:

adults aged 75 years and over (including those who will be 75 by 31 March 2027)
residents in care homes for older adults
individuals who are immunosuppressed aged 6 months and over (see below for more information)

The immunosuppression criteria can be confusing. Eligibility is outlined in the COVID-19 Green Book chapter, a document published by UKHSA specifically for public health professionals. It can be a complicated document for non-experts, so we’ve listed some of the groups here:

organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients
those being treated with systemic steroids for more than a month
those living with HIV
those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy
those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
those requiring long-term treatment for immunosuppression
those with a history of haematological malignancy including chronic leukaemia, lymphomas, and leukaemia
those with genetic disorders affecting the immune system

While this list summarises some major groups it does not cover everything, so please contact the Surgery if you are unsure. If you are eligible, you can have your Covid booster at the same time as your Flu vaccination.