Vaccination is the most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year. Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, diseases like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely.
Other diseases like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced. However, if people stop having vaccines, it’s possible for infectious diseases to quickly spread again.
Why vaccines are safe
All vaccines are thoroughly tested to make sure they will not harm you or your child. It often takes many years for a vaccine to make it through the trials and tests it needs to pass for approval. Once a vaccine is being used in the UK it’s also monitored for any rare side effects by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Anyone can report a suspected side effect of vaccination to the MHRA through the Yellow Card Scheme.
Which vaccinations are offered at the GP surgery?
We follow the NHS vaccination schedule
Childhood Vaccination
Ideally, children should have their jabs at the right age to protect them as early as possible and minimise the risk of infection.
Find out which jabs your child needs, when they need them, and what the benefits of each jab are here:
- NHS Choice – Vaccinations for you and your family
- Childhood Immunisation Schedule
- National Immunisation Schedule
Locally, the school vaccination programme should be offering:
- HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine for 12 to 13 year old girls in year 8 and boys aged 12 to 13 years at school in year 8
- DTP (diphtheria, tetanus and polio) teenage booster for 13 to 14 year old girls and boys in year 9
- Meningococcal (Meningitis) ACWY vaccine for 13 to 14 year old girls and boys in year 9
- Seasonal influenza (‘flu) vaccination (Reception class and years 1, 2, 3, 4,5 and 6)
At the surgery, we usually see children at
- 8 weeks
- 12 weeks
- 16 weeks
- 1 year
- 2-3 years for the nasal seasonal flu vaccination
- 3 years and 4 months
If your child has not been seen by the nurse and received their immunisations they may be late and therefore not protected. You can have a look in the red book, but if in doubt, do not hesitate to contact us ASAP.
Parents can call the catch-up clinic for those children who have been absent during school vaccination programmes or for young people who are educated at home or have an individual need.
Pneumococcal Vaccine:
Who should have the pneumococcal vaccine?
A pneumococcal infection can affect anyone. However, some people need the pneumococcal vaccination because they are at higher risk of complications. These include:
- all children under the age of two
- adults aged 65 or over
- children and adults with certain long-term health conditions, such as a serious heart or kidney condition
Read more about who should have the pneumo jab.
How often is the pneumococcal vaccine given?
Babies receive the pneumococcal vaccine as three separate injections, at 2 months, 4 months and 12-13 months.
People over-65 only need a single pneumococcal vaccination which will protect for life. It is not given annually like the flu jab.
People with a long term health condition may need just a single one-off pneumococcal vaccination or five-yearly vaccination depending on their underlying health problem.
Flu Immunisation
You may be invited for a flu jab if you are:
- over 65 years of age
- pregnant
or have:
- a serious heart or chest complaint, including asthma
- serious kidney disease
- diabetes
- lowered immunity due to disease or treatment such as steroid medication or cancer treatment
- if you have ever had a stroke
We will contact you directly if you are eligible.
Pregnant women
We offer vaccination against the whooping cough from 16 weeks of pregnancy to protect newborns form a potentially lethal disease https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/whooping-cough-vaccination/
RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination is available from 28 weeks to protect newborns from respiratory illness when they are young
We offer the flu jab during the flu season
Adults 50 years old and above
We offer vaccinations against the flu to adults 50 years and over
We offer vaccinations against pneumococcal infection (which can cause pneumonia, blood poisoning and meningitis) to adults 65 years and over
We offer vaccinations against shingles to adults 70 years and over
We offer RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination to adults aged 75-79 years.
At risk people, people with underlying health conditions
We offer a range of vaccinations for people at risk and will invite you
Covid19 Vaccination
We do not offer this at our surgery but strongly recommend that you get vaccinated / get a booster to protect yourself and others
You can find some local centres or use the national booking system
Travel Vaccination
The practice nurse provides a travel vaccination service – please contact reception to arrange an appointment.