Flu vaccination

We are encouraging all unpaid carers in Surrey to take up the offer of a free flu vaccination as a priority, not only to protect themselves and the people they care for, but to help reduce hospitalisations during a time that we expect will be especially busy for the NHS and social care. 

Carers who look after a friend or family member can ask for a flu vaccine at their GP practice or show their Surrey Carers Flu Jab Voucher when asking for a flu jab at a pharmacy offering the NHS flu vaccine.

The voucher provides assurance that the carer is known to carers services in Surrey and is therefore entitled to a free flu vaccination.

Surrey Carers Flu Jab Vouchers are available through all of our Carers Support Services:

• Action for Carers Surrey
• Surrey County Council Adult Social Care
• Surrey Independent Living Charity
• Crossroads Care Surrey
• Luminus

Young carers are encouraged to contact their GP for advice on flu vaccination.

Those eligible for the free flu vaccination on the NHS this year (2024 to 2025) are:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, chapter 19 Influenza)
• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
• primary and secondary school aged children (Reception to Year 11)
• those in long-stay residential care homes (see GOV.UK site footnote 1)
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

If you’re an unpaid carer, register as a carer with you GP as this will help you to receive your flu vaccine within the surgery and access many other benefits the practices may have on offer for unpaid carers.

If you're eligible for a free flu vaccination, you can have it at:

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

It is best to have the flu vaccination in the autumn or early winter before any outbreaks of flu. Remember that you need it every year, so don’t assume you are protected because you had one last year.

• Children aged 6 months to 2 years with a long-term condition will receive their flu vaccination at their GP surgery.
• Children aged 2 years until child starts primary school will receive their flu vaccination at their GP Surgery
• Those from reception to Year 11 will be offered the flu vaccine either at school or at their GP surgery.
• For pregnant women, in some areas, midwives can give the flu vaccine at the antenatal clinic, in others, you will need an appointment at a GP surgery.

Getting your free flu vaccination from your GP

For all patients in Surrey Downs, Guildford and Waverley, and North West Surrey the flu vaccination programme is being coordinated by your GP practice. Find out where your practice will be offering your Flu Jab.

Find out where your practice will be offering your Flu Jab in East Surrey.

Find a pharmacy that offers the NHS flu vaccine

Yes of course! If you would like to have a flu vaccine you can pay to have one at your local pharmacy.

Who should not have the flu vaccine?

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

You may be at risk of an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine injection if you have an egg allergy. This is because some flu vaccines are made using eggs.

Ask a GP or pharmacist for a low-egg or egg-free vaccine.

If you're ill with a high temperature, it's best to wait until you're better before having the flu vaccine.

Does the flu vaccine work and are there any side effects?

Flu vaccines are very safe. All adult flu vaccines are given by injection into the muscle of the upper arm.

Most side effects are mild and only last for a day or so, such as:

• slightly raised temperature.
• muscle aches.
• sore arm where the needle went in – this is more likely to happen with the vaccine for people aged 65 and over.

Try these tips to help reduce the discomfort:

• continue to move your arm regularly.
• take a painkiller, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen – some people, including those who are pregnant, should not take ibuprofen unless a doctor recommends it.

Yes, the Covid-19 vaccine does not protect you from the flu, and vice versa. If you are eligible for both vaccines you should have them both.

Getting a flu vaccine will not protect against Covid-19, however, it can help keep you safe from getting the flu, which in turn will help you stay healthy and well.

If you’ve had COVID-19, it’s still safe to have the flu vaccine, however you may wish to reschedule your appointment if you are currently experiencing a high temperature or acute illness on the day of the appointment. It will still be effective at helping to prevent flu.

For advice and information about the flu vaccination, visit the NHS website.

If you have any of the Covid-19 symptoms, then please do not attend your flu vaccination appointment. This can be rescheduled. Please see your booking details for how to amend your appointment or contact your local pharmacy or GP where your appointment has been booked.

When should you get your flu vaccine?

The vaccine is available from September although you may be offered the vaccine later in the season depending on criteria and availability.

The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, before flu starts circulating. But even if it's later, it's always worth getting vaccinated.

Yes. The viruses that cause flu can change every year, which means the flu (and the vaccine) this year may be different from last year.

It’s still important to get your flu vaccine even if you have had flu this autumn. It can help protect you from getting it again.

No. The flu vaccine that is given to adults is made from dead flu virus and cannot cause the infection. The flu vaccine that will be given to most children is a live vaccine, but the viruses in it have been weakened so they can not cause flu. You may get some side effects after the vaccination but these are quite mild like a slightly raised temperature or aching muscles for a couple of days or an ache in the arm where the injection was given. Other reactions are very rare.

The flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu and is your best protection against the virus. It will not stop all flu viruses but if you do get flu after vaccination, it’s likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been. It takes the immune response about two weeks to fully develop after vaccination.

The flu vaccine will provide protection for you for the upcoming flu season. People eligible for flu vaccination should have the vaccine each year.

No unfortunately when you have flu, antibiotics will not help you feel better.

Yes, it's fine to have the flu vaccine while you're taking a course of antibiotics, provided you're not ill with a high temperature.

The vaccine provides the best available protection against flu. It is not 100% effective but it will protect a significant number of people and reduce the severity of flu if you get it. It could also help your relatives or carers because you will not be passing the disease to them.

Operation Vaccination is a campaign to increase awareness in Muslim communities about the importance of getting a flu vaccination.

The MCB Operation Vaccination webpage has a range of information and resources.

A flu jab will help protect both you and your baby.

There is good evidence that pregnant women have a higher chance of developing complications if they get flu, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy.

One of the most common complications of flu is bronchitis, a chest infection that can become serious and develop into pneumonia.

If you have flu while you're pregnant, it could cause your baby to be born prematurely or have a low birthweight, and may even lead to stillbirth or death.

Yes. Studies have shown that it's safe to have a flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date.

Women who have had a flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.

It's safe for women who are breastfeeding to have a flu vaccine if they're eligible (for example, because of a long-term health condition).

The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, before flu starts circulating. If you've missed this time, you can be vaccinated later in the winter although it's best to get it earlier.

Do not worry if you find that you're pregnant later in the flu season – you can have the vaccine then if you have not already had it.

Contact your midwife or GP surgery to find out where you can get a flu vaccine. It's a good idea to get vaccinated as soon as possible after the vaccine becomes available in September.

In some areas, you can get a flu vaccine at an antenatal clinic. In others, you'll need an appointment at a GP surgery or a pharmacy that offers the flu vaccine.

Yes, because the viruses that cause flu change every year. This means the flu strains the vaccines are designed to prevent this year may be different from last year.

If you had the flu vaccine during the last flu season because you were pregnant (same pregnancy or a previous pregnancy), or because you're in a vulnerable group, you need to have it again this year.

Find out more about how the flu vaccine works.

No. Flu jabs do not contain any live viruses, so cannot cause flu. Some people get a slightly raised temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards, and you may feel sore at the injection site.

Find out more about flu vaccine side effects.

Yes, you can have a flu vaccine at the same time as the whooping cough vaccine, but do not delay your flu jab so you can have both at the same time.

Pregnant women are at risk of severe illness from flu at any stage of pregnancy, so you need to have a flu vaccine as soon as possible.

The best time to get vaccinated against whooping cough is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. 

If you miss having the vaccine for any reason, you can still have it up until you go into labour.

Find out more about the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy.

Talk to a GP as soon as possible. If you do have flu, there's a prescribed medicine you can take that might help, or reduce your risk of complications, but it needs to be taken very soon after symptoms appear.

You should have the flu vaccine if you're pregnant to help protect you and your baby. It's safe to have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives. It's safe for women who are breastfeeding to have the vaccine.