Flu
The flu vaccination is free and available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications. Flu can be unpleasant, but if you are otherwise healthy, it will usually clear up on its own within a week.
Each year, the viruses that are most likely to cause flu are identified in advance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends which type of flu virus strains to to include int he vaccine.
Wootton Medical Centre have already purchased and reserved flu vaccines for our eligible patients and appreciates your patience and support in attending the surgery for this vaccine.
The flu vaccine is recommended yearly for those most at risk of flu. This includes:
- Children aged 2 and 3 years old
- Pregnant women
- Anyone living with a long-term medical condition
- Everyone aged 65 years and old
- Carers
How effective is the vaccine?
The flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredicted virus that can cause unpleasant illness in children and severe illness and death among at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition.
Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu. It will not stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it is not a 100% guarantee that you will be flu-free, but if you do get flu after having the vaccination it is likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.
Possible side effects
Serious side effects of the injected flu vaccine are very rare. You may have a mild fever and aching muscles for a couple of days after the vaccine and your arm may be a bit sore where you were injected.
Side effects of the nasal spray vaccine may commonly include a runny or blocked nose, headache, tiredness and some loss of appetite.
Find out about flu vaccination for adults
Find out about flu vaccination for children
COVID-19
COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against COVID-19.
The NHS website provides information about the vaccination, who can get it, and safety and side effects.
Find out about COVID-19 vaccination
Travel
Patients travelling abroad are required to submit a travel questionnaire to the practice not less than 8 weeks before travel. All NHS vaccines are available free at the GP surgery. Any vaccines not covered under the NHS; patients will be asked to make an appointment at their local travel centre.
Pneumococcal
A vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease, an infection caused by the bacterium streptococcus pneumoniae, which usually lives harmlessly in the back of many people’s throats. However, it can invade other parts of the body and cause serious, possible life threatening illnesses, notably:
- Pneumonia
- Septicasemia or ‘blood poisoning’
- Meningitis
The pneumococcal vaccination can help prevent disease; people over 65 only need a single vaccination which will protect for life. The vaccination is available throughout the year.
Pneumococcal vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Shingles
A vaccine to prevent shingles, a common and painful skin disease is available on the NHS to people in their 70s.
The shingles vaccine is given as a single injection into the upper arm and unlike the flu jab, you will only need to have the vaccination once and you can have it at any time of the year.
The shingles vaccine is expected to reduce your risk of getting shingles. If you do go on to have the disease, your symptoms may be milder and the illness shorter.
Shingles can be very painful and uncomfortable. Some people are left with pain lasting for years after the initial rash has healed. Singles is also fatal for around 1 in 1000 people over-70s who develop it.
What is shingles?
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful skin rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster virus) in people who have previously had chickenpox.
People tend to get shingles more often as they get older, especially over the age of 70, and the older you are, the worse it can be. The pain of shingles can also linger long after the rash has disappeared, even for many years. This lingering pain is called post-herpetic neuralgia.
It begins with a burning sensation in the skin, followed by a rash of very painful fluid-filled blisters that can then burst and turn into sores before healing. Often an area of just one side the body is affected, usually the chest but sometimes the head, face and eye.
Who can have the shingles vaccination?
You are eligible for the shingles vaccine if you are aged 70 or 78 years old. In addition, anyone who was previously eligible (born on or after 2nd September 1942) but missed out on this vaccination remains eligible until their 80th birthday.
When you are eligible, you can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year, just book an appointment with a practice nurse.
The shingles vaccine is not available on the NHS to anyone aged 80 or over because it seems to be less effective in this age group.
Shingles vaccine – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
RSV Vaccination
RSV can cause serious respiratory illness in older adults and infants. Eligible patients will be contacted to arrange vaccination appointments.
RSV – The UK’s RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccination programme expanded in 2026. From September 1, eligibility includes adults aged 65 to 74 with certain clinical risk conditions, like chronic respiratory diseases or a suppressed immune system
What you need to know:
The RSV vaccine is a one-off dose rather than a yearly jab.
- You can often have it at the same appointment as your COVID-19 or flu vaccines.
- Pregnant women and older adults can book or check their eligibility through their local GP surgery.
MENINGITIS B VACCINE – Available from Monday 20th July 2026 – 31.03.2027
A time-limited MenB vaccine offer is available now for eligible young people, including those who will be starting university as undergraduates or moving into residential further education settings for the first time in autumn 2026. You can check eligibility guidelines below.
The programme has been introduced in response to recent meningitis outbreaks while a full review of the evidence by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is underway.
Eligible students will need 2 doses of the MenB vaccine for protection, given at least 4 weeks apart, with the first being offered from 20 July and the second dose from August.
How to get the vaccine
How you’ll get your MenB vaccine depends on which eligible group you are in.
If you are 17 or 18 years old and were born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2008, you can book online now. First dose appointments begin from 20 July 2026. You must be registered with a GP surgery in England.
If you are under 25, born on or after 21 July 2001 and for the first time this autumn you are starting university or starting at some further education colleges as a residential student, you can get a MenB vaccine at a participating pharmacy or from your local GP surgery from 20 July 2026. PROOF OF UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE RESIDENCE WILL BE REQUIRED
This includes international students, students from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and those travelling abroad to study.
You do not need to be registered with a GP surgery to use this service.
For a full list of qualifying clinical risk groups or more detailed clinical guidelines, you can review the GOV.UK Green Book RSV Chapter or explore the complete GOV.UK RSV vaccination programme resources.
MenACWY Vaccine – The MenACWY vaccine helps protect against life-threatening illnesses like meningitis and sepsis. It’s offered to teenagers in school but can be given up to the age of 25 if it has been missed.
How to get the MenACWY vaccine
Teenagers are usually given the MenACWY vaccine at school when they’re 13 or 14 years old (school year 9).
If you missed having the vaccine when you were at school, you can still get it up until the age of 25. Ask your GP about getting vaccinated.
College and university students
If you’re under 25 and you’ve not had the MenACWY vaccine before, you should ideally have it at least 2 weeks before starting college or university. Ask a GP about getting vaccinated.
If you’ve already started college or university, get the vaccine as soon as possible. Ask at the health centre on campus or register with a GP to get it. More about vaccine safety