Vaccinations

We give a wide range of NHS vaccinations here at the practice. Vaccinations are one of the safest and best ways to protect yourself and your family from serious illness, and they are free on the NHS for everyone who is eligible.

This page explains the vaccinations we offer. For travel vaccinations, see our Travel health page. Who is eligible for each vaccine is decided nationally and is reviewed every year, so it can change from one year to the next.

Flu vaccine

The flu vaccine is offered every autumn. You can have a free flu vaccine if you:

• are aged 65 or over
• have certain long-term health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, heart, lung, liver or kidney conditions, or a weakened immune system
• are pregnant
• are a carer, or you live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• live in a care home
• are a frontline health or social care worker.

Children are offered the flu vaccine too. See “Childhood vaccinations” below.

If you are not sure whether you can have a free flu vaccine, you can check on the NHS flu vaccine page.

COVID-19 vaccine

We give the COVID-19 vaccine here at the practice, and we can often give it at the same time as your flu vaccine. Who can have it is set nationally and is narrower than for flu. It is usually offered to older adults, people who live in a care home, and people with a weakened immune system. If you were eligible in the past, you may not be this year.

If you are eligible, we will contact you to book. You can check whether you can have a COVID-19 vaccine on the NHS COVID-19 vaccine page.

How we will invite you

When the autumn vaccination programme starts, we will contact eligible patients to book, usually by text message with a link to book online, and sometimes by phone. Please book in when you hear from us, so we can make sure there is enough vaccine for everyone who needs it.

If you think you are eligible and have not heard from us, please send us an online request or call us on 01273 305723.

If you are housebound or live in a care home, we will contact you to arrange your vaccinations, and one of our nurses will come to you to give them. You do not need to do anything.

Childhood vaccinations

Vaccinations protect babies and children from serious illnesses such as measles, meningitis and whooping cough. We run regular childhood immunisation clinics. We will contact you when your child is due a vaccination, and you can book in with us.

For most children the flu vaccine is given as a quick and painless nasal spray, not an injection. Children aged 2 and 3 are offered it at the practice, and school-age children are usually offered it at school.

You can see which vaccinations are due at each age on the NHS vaccination schedule, and read more about the children’s flu vaccine.

RSV, shingles and pneumococcal vaccines

We also offer these vaccines here at the practice to patients who are eligible:

• the RSV vaccine, a single dose for adults aged 75 to 79 and for women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant. RSV is a common virus that can cause serious lung infections in older adults and in young babies, and the vaccine in pregnancy helps protect your baby in their first months.
• the shingles vaccine, for older adults (usually from around age 65) and for people with a weakened immune system
• the pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against some serious infections such as pneumonia, for adults aged 65 and over and people with certain long-term conditions.

If you are eligible, we will usually offer these when you are due. You can read more on the NHS RSV, shingles and pneumococcal vaccine pages.

Travel vaccinations

If you are travelling abroad, you may need vaccinations or other health advice before you go. Some need to be given several weeks ahead, so plan as early as you can. See our Travel health page for what we offer and how to arrange it.

If you are pregnant

Some vaccinations are recommended in pregnancy to protect you and your baby, including the flu, whooping cough and RSV vaccines. See our Pregnancy and maternity page for more.

Side effects and more information

Side effects from vaccines are usually mild and last a day or two, such as a sore arm or feeling tired. Serious side effects are very rare. You can read about each vaccine, including who it is for and its side effects, on the NHS vaccinations pages.

This page was last updated in June 2026.