Flu Vaccination Service

The flu vaccination service for season 2023/2024

Please follow the steps below to book to your flu jab

How to secure your flu jab for this year at Earls Barton Pharmacy by following the following easy steps:

1)  Book an appointment using our online booking service by clicking here.

2) Once you have selected the appointment time and date- please complete the NHS flu vaccination questionnaire as outlined and link to follow below to complete questionnaire:https://preconsult.app/pc/FPK16

3) Once you have booked your appointment- you will receive a text message and an email to confirm the time and date of your appointment.

4) If you dont qualify for the FREE NHS jab-  We will be offering a private flu vaccination service-there will be a charge of £20.00 per jab. Please book your appointment by clicking here and select the private service.

If you have difficulty in managing this- please let us know and we can help you out with this by calling the pharmacy on 01604 812736 to speak to a member of the pharmacy team.

Please remember its your choice where and when you would like your Flu jab.

Flu - why is it important to get a Flu jab this year?

Flu vaccination is 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.

However, flu can be more severe in certain people, such as:

  • anyone aged 65 and over
  • pregnant women
  • children and adults with an underlying health condition (such as long-term heart or respiratory disease)
  • children and adults with weakened immune systems

Anyone in these risk groups is more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia (a lung infection), so it's recommended that they have a flu vaccine every year to help protect them.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

The NHS free flu vaccine for 2023/24 is given to people who:

  • are 65 yrs and over
  • have certain health conditions- such as diabetes, asthma, COPD, heart, liver,kidney, neurological disease, learning disabilities, without a spleen, obesity.
  • are pregnant
  • are in a long-stay residental care
  • receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
  • live with someone who’s at high risk from coronavirus (on the NHS shielded patient list)
  • frontline health or social care workers

Find out more about who should have the flu vaccine.

65 and overs and the flu vaccine

You are eligible for the flu vaccine this year (2023/24) if you will be aged 65 and over on March 31 2024 – that is, you were born on or before March 31 1956. So, if you are currently 64 but will be 65 by March 31 2024, you do qualify also.

Where to get the flu vaccine

You can have your NHS flu vaccine at:

  • a local pharmacy offering the service
  • your midwifery service if they offer it for pregnant women

If you have your flu vaccine at a pharmacy, you don't have to inform your GP – we send them a secure email linked to your GP records by your NHS number once you have the jab with us.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable 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 won't stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it's not a 100% guarantee that you'll be flu-free, but if you do get flu after vaccination it's likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.

There is also evidence to suggest that the flu vaccine can reduce your risk of having a stroke.

Over time, protection from the injected flu vaccine gradually decreases and flu strains often change. So new flu vaccines are produced each year, which is why people advised to have the flu vaccine need it every year too.

Read more about how the flu vaccine works.

Flu vaccine 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 having 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.

Read more about the side effects of the flu vaccine.

How safe is the flu vaccine?

The flu vaccines used in the national programme have a good safety record.

When to have a flu vaccine

The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, from the beginning of September to end of November, but don't worry if you've missed it, you can have the vaccine later in winter. Ask your Pharmacist.

The flu vaccine for 2023/2024

Each year, the viruses that are most likely to cause flu are identified in advance and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends which type of flu virus strains to include in the vaccine.

Is there anyone who shouldn't have the flu vaccine?

Most adults can have the injected flu vaccine, but you should avoid it if you have had a serious allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.

Read more about who shouldn't have the flu vaccine.

You can find out more by reading the answers to the most common questions that people have about the flu vaccine.