From 1 September 2024, pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant, those who turn 75 and those aged 75 to 79 will be eligible for a free vaccine to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:

• cough
• sore throat
• sneezing
• a runny or blocked nose

It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system.

RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.

Eligibility for the RSV vaccination

Pregnant women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant, everyone turning 75 years old on or after the 1 September 2024 is entitled to a single dose of RSV vaccine. This is because older adults are more at risk of serious complications from RSV. You can still get the vaccine up to the day before you turn 80.

For the first year of the programme, the vaccine will also be available to those who are already aged 75 to 79 years on 1 September 2024 as part of a catch up programme.

If you are not yet 75 the NHS will invite you will be able to have the vaccination once you turn 75.

There are specific RSV vaccination clinics which can now be booked.

Flu vaccination season fully commences on 3/10/2024.  From 1/9/24 pregnant women can have their vaccination.

Flu appointments are now available to book online or by telephoning the surgery.  Those entitled to the flu vaccine are:

• chronic (long-term) respiratory disease, such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease at stage three, four or five
• chronic liver disease
• chronic neurological disease, e.g. Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) or cerebral palsy
• learning disability
• diabetes
• splenic dysfunction or asplenia
• weakened immune system due to disease (HIV/AIDS) or treatment (cancer treatment)
• morbidly obese (BMI of 40 and above)
• all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season)
• household contacts of those on the NHS Shielded Patient List, or of immunocompromised individuals, specifically individuals who expect to share living accommodation with a shielded patient on most days over the winter and therefore for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable
• anyone aged 65 years or over (including those becoming age 65 years by 31 March 2025)
• People living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality. This does not include, for instance, prisons, young offender institutions, university halls of residence, or boarding schools 
• people who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
• health and social care staff, employed by a registered residential care/nursing home or registered domiciliary care provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable patients/clients who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza.
• Health and care staff, employed by a voluntary managed hospice provider, who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable patients/clients who are at increased risk from exposure to influenza.

Health and social care workers employed through Direct Payments (personal budgets) and/or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants, to deliver domiciliary care to patients and service users

Appointments can now be booked online or by calling the surgery