The Department of Health have directed Practices to vaccinate all patients aged 50-64 before the end of March 2024.

Please contact the surgery if you wish to have your flu vaccine.

In addition if you are aged 65 years or over or you are at higher risk and have not yet recieved your flu vaccination please contact the surgery.

Who is at risk?

• If you are aged 65 years or over or if you are on regular inhaled steroids
• If you have a chronic respiratory disease (including asthma)
• If you have chronic heart disease
• If you have chronic renal disease
• If you are diabetic
• If you have a weak immune system
• If you live in a long-stay residential or nursing home
• If you have a chronic liver disease
• If you are a carer

Everybody aged 65 and over should now be immunised to help protect them against pneumococcal infection which can cause diseases such as pneumonia, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and meningitis. Please phone the surgery to make an appointment if the above applies to you.

Shingles is a painful infection that usually affects older people. In Northern Ireland there is a vaccination programme which can protect older people against shingles. The Practice will contact you if you are eligible for this vaccine.

People who are eligible for the vaccine

Your GP will contact you and invite you for vaccination if you are in any of the following groups:

• aged 65 on 1 September 2023
• aged 70 on 1 September 2023
• aged 50 or over on 1 September 2023 and have a severely weakened immune system

You are still eligible for the vaccine during 2023 and 2024 if you haven't already received the vaccine and are aged between 71 and 79 (born between 2 September 1943 and 1 September 1953).

People aged 80 or over

The vaccine's effect diminishes with age, therefore people aged 80 or older aren't eligible to receive the vaccine.

People with a weakened immune system

People with a severely weakened immune system cannot have live vaccines. A non-live vaccine called Shingrix® which is proven to be safe in those with a weakened immune system can now be given.

If you are aged between 71 and 79 and could not get the shingles vaccine due to a weakened immune system, ask your GP for advice.

If you are aged 50 years or over with a severely weakened immune system, you are also eligible to receive the singles vaccine.

• Shingles vaccine leaflet(external link opens in a new window / tab)

Whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women

In recent years, cases of whooping cough (also known as pertussis) have risen sharply across the UK. You can help protect your unborn baby from getting whooping cough in the weeks after birth by having the whooping cough vaccination while you are pregnant.

The best time to get vaccinated to protect your baby is from week 16 of your pregnancy.

If you are in week 16 of your pregnancy or beyond please contact the Surgery to arrange an appointment.

The vaccine

You will be given a vaccine already used as part of the childhood immunisation schedule that also protects against diphtheria, tetanus and polio.

The whooping cough vaccine isn’t live, so it can’t cause whooping cough in you or your baby.

Having vaccines in pregnancy has been studied and no evidence of risk has been found.

It’s much safer for you to have the vaccination than to risk your newborn baby catching whooping cough.