Dear Patients,
We have completed all flu vaccine clinics for this season. We now encourage our patients to go to the local pharmacy to have a flu vaccination if not yet vaccinated.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE:
Who is eligible for the flu vaccine this year:
- Patients eligible for vaccination under this ES are those patients who are included within the cohorts below:
- those aged 6 months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups;
- respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis
- diabetes
- heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
- being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
- chronic kidney disease
- liver disease, such as hepatitis
- neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
- a learning disability
- problems with your spleen, for example, sickle cell disease, or if you have had your spleen removed
- a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
- all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season)
- those aged 50 years and over;
- those in long-stay residential care homes;
- carers;
- locum GPs;
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals;
- frontline health and social care staff employed by:
- registered residential care or nursing home;
- registered domiciliary care provider;
- a voluntary managed hospice provider;
- Direct Payment (personal budgets) and/or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants;
and who are registered with the GP practice; or
- frontline health and social care staff employed by:
- a registered residential care or nursing home; or
- a voluntary managed hospice provider;
that are not registered with the GP practice but who elect to receive their vaccination from the GP practice.
- those living in:
- long-stay facilities;
- nursing homes;
- other long-stay health or social care facilities; or
- a housebound Patient as described in paragraph 11.16.
that are not registered with the GP practice.
- All frontline health and social care workers are expected to have influenza vaccination to protect those they care for.
For more information about the national flu programme, please visit:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/flu-influenza-vaccine/
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-flu-immunisation-programme-plan/national-flu-immunisation-programme-2021-to-2022-letter
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-flu-immunisation-programme-and-covid-19/health-matters-delivering-the-flu-immunisation-programme-during-the-covid-19-pandemic |