Flu clinics at Little Bushey Surgery:
Important Info: If you have not had your flu jab and are eligible to have one on the NHS, please contact reception on 0208 386 8888 to book an appt.
This year most eligible adults will be offered a flu vaccine from early October, which might be slightly later than in previous years.
The flu vaccine will continue to be offered to children and pregnant women from September.
please see this link for further NHS info When should I have my flu vaccine?
Details of the clinics held in September & October:
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We are currently arranging appts for the flu vaccination clinics. We are intending to hold the clinics in September & early October once we have delivery of the vaccines.
The vaccinations will be at the surgery held in the car park (similar to last years arrangements)
Please look out for a SMS message which will enable you to book an appt
Please call the surgery if you are unable to book your appt via the SMS message.
Please note: Those patients without a mobile phone will be contacted by our admin team via a phone call to book an appt
- At risk or over 65: Pre-bookable Clinics only (held in our carpark)
- Children (2 to 3 years old) book an appointment with our Practice Nurses for the nasal flu vaccine
Flu Vaccination Q&A's
For most people, flu is an unpleasant illness, but it's not serious. If you are otherwise healthy, you will usually recover from flu within a week. However, certain people are more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. These people should have a flu jab each year.
People who should have a flu jab
You are eligible to receive a free flu jab if you:
- are 65 years of age or over
- are 2 to 3 years old (at the GP surgery)
- are pregnant
- have certain medical conditions (see below)
- are living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
- receive a carer's allowance, or you are the main Carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill
- are a healthcare worker with direct patient contact or a social care worker (see below)
Flu jab for health and social care workers
Outbreaks of flu can occur in health and social care settings, and, because flu is so contagious, staff, patients and residents are all at risk of infection.
If you're a frontline health and social care worker, you can protect yourself, your colleagues and other members of the community, by having the flu vaccine.
If you care for someone who is elderly or disabled, speak to your GP about having a flu jab along with the person you care for has the flu jab.
Pregnant women and the flu jab
If you're pregnant, you're advised to have the injectable flu vaccine, regardless of the stage of pregnancy you've reached. That's because there's strong evidence to suggest that pregnant women have an increased risk of developing complications if they get flu.
If you're pregnant, you will benefit from the flu vaccine because it:
- reduces your chance of getting serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy
- reduces your risk of having a miscarriage or your baby being born prematurely or with a low birthweight, due to flu
- will help protect your baby because they will continue to have some immunity to flu for the first few months of their life
It's safe to have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy, from conception onwards. The vaccine doesn't carry any risks for you or your baby. Talk to your GP or midwife if you are unsure about the vaccination.
Flu jab for people with medical conditions
The injected flu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to anyone with a serious long term health condition. That includes these types of illnesses:
If you live with someone who has a weakened immune system, you may also be advised to have a flu vaccine. Speak to your GP about this.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/who-should-have-flu-vaccine.aspx
At what age should children have the nasal spray flu vaccine?
In the autumn/winter, the vaccine will be available free on the NHS for eligible children, including:
- children aged two and three on August 31
- children in reception class and school years one to six (primary school) and years 7 to 11 (secondary school) - these children will be vaccinated at school and not at the GP surgery
- children aged 2 to 17 with long-term health conditions (at risk) can be vaccinated at school or at the GP surgery
Over the next few years the programme will gradually be extended to include older children.
The intranasal influenza vaccination is also available for all children between the age of 2 to 18 years who are in an "at risk" category.
Why do I need the flu vaccine?
Because flu is more than just a heavy cold. For most people flu is not usually serious, but as you get older or if you have certain health conditions it can cause possibly life-threatening illnesses.
When should I have the vaccine?
Ideally, you should have it as soon as possible. The best time to be vaccinated is between late September and early November ready for the winter. Having a vaccination in the autumn will protect you during the winter months.
Will I have to pay for the vaccine?
No, the vaccine is completely free on the NHS for the people listed.
Can you still catch flu if you have had the vaccine?
Some people think they have caught flu even though they have had the injection. In fact, it probably wasn’t flu. There are other heavy colds and chest infections around every winter - flu is just one of them. Unfortunately, the flu vaccine won’t prevent other infections, but it does protect against the strains if flu viruses likely to be circulating.
Can you catch the flu from having the vaccine
No, There is no active virus in a flu vaccine so it can't cause flu. If you have been ill after the flu vaccine in the past, you could have had one of the other viruses described above. Or very occasionally you could have caught the flu before the vaccination took effect. Vaccinations are given before the flu season usually starts but occasionally flu appears earlier than expected.
I have heard that having the flu vaccine makes you ill. Is that true?
You may feel some discomfort and possibly get some swelling where you have been given the injection, which is usually in the upper arm, A very small number of people get a temperature and aching muscles after the injection, sometimes with joint pains beginning a few hours after the injection and lasting up to 2 days. Other reactions are rare. If you have had a serious reaction in the past however, you should discuss with your GP whether you should have the vaccine again.