Requests for Flu vaccine this September 2023

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT FLU AND COVID CAMPAIGN 2023

We have recently been informed, with very little notice, that NHS England has decided to delay the start of the Covid and Flu Vaccine Campaigns until after the 7th October due a delay in their delivery dates for Covid vaccine supplies.

This poses a huge problem for the practice as we have already started booking patients for a Flu/Covid Clinic which had been planned for Saturday 23rd September.

Flu supplies have been ordered by the practice directly from the suppliers and will be arriving on time in September therefore we will be able to give flu in the September clinic but not Covid.

We requested urgent clarification regarding our September clinic and have been given assurance that if a patient wishes to receive flu vaccination in September, NHS England will permit payment claims to be submitted.

Therefore we have decided to go ahead with a smaller clinic for patients who wish to receive FLU only in September.

We will be inviting the majority of our patients by text in Mid- September for our October (SATURDAY 21ST OCTOBER) and November (SATURDAY 18TH NOVEMBER) dates for a COMBINED FLU AND COVID CLINIC.

• If you are happy to wait for the combined clinics in October and November YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. Please wait to recieve our invitation by text in mid September.

• If you are already booked for our clinic in September 23rd September and would like to keep this appointment and have FLU only in the September date and then be booked for a later date for Covid YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING AT THIS POINT. Please turn up for your booked appt in September and you will automatically be offered a Covid vaccine date for October or November.

• If you are already booked for our clinic in September 23rd September and WOULD LIKE TO CANCEL THIS APPOINTMENT and be rebooked for a Covid/flu combined clinic in October OR November please send us a request in the form below.

• If you would like to be booked in for FLU only for the September date (Saturday 23rd September) as you are wish to have your flu early please send us a request in the form below and we will try and fit you in.

Please read the information below regarding the eligibility for the Flu and Covid vaccines for 2023 before you send us a request.

ELIGIBILITY FOR FLU VACCINE 2023

The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:

• are 65 and over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2024)
• have certain health conditions*
• are pregnant
• are in long-stay residential 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 is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system, such as someone living with HIV, someone who has had a transplant, or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis

*The flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS to people with certain long-term health conditions, including:

• respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis
• diabetes
• heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
• being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
• chronic kidney disease
• liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis
• some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
• a learning disability
• problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you’ve had your spleen removed
• a weakened immune system as a result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy

ELIGIBILITY FOR COVID BOOSTER VACCINE 2023

The following people are eligible for an autumn Covid booster:

• Residents in care homes for older adults
• All adults aged 65 years and over
• People aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of the UKHSA Green Book on Immunisation*
• frontline health and social care workers.
• People aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression, as defined in the UKHSA Green Book
• People aged 16 to 64 years who are carers, as defined in the UKHSA Green Book, and staff working in care homes for older adults

*Tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of UKHSA the Green Book defines who is in a clinical risk group.

Clinical risk groups for individuals aged 16 years and over include:

• Chronic respiratory disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic neurological disease, such as stroke and individuals with cerebral palsy, profound multiple learning disabilities, Down’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and related or similar conditions.
• Diabetes
• Those with immunosuppression
• Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen
• Morbid obesity
• Severe mental illness
• Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings
• Pregnant women

Clinical risk groups for those aged under 16 years include:

• Chronic respiratory disease
• Chronic heart conditions
• Chronic conditions of the kidney, liver or digestive system
• Chronic neurological disease
• Endocrine disorders
• Immunosuppression
• Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen
• Serious genetic abnormalities that affect a number of systems
• Pregnancy

The JCVI also advises that people who have not yet received their first Covid jab should be offered a single vaccine dose as their primary course. The criteria for eligibility for a first Covid vaccine is the same as the autumn 2023 booster.