Vaccinations

It is usual that vaccination against influenza is available September through to January every year at the surgery for elligible patients.  People elligible for flu vaccination are -

• those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
• Pregnant women
• Those persons aged 65 years and over
• With effect from 15 October 2022 only, those patients aged 50 to 64 years not in clinical risk groups
• Carers
• Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• Housebound patient 
• Those living in long-stay residential care homes or nursing homes or other long-stay health and social care facilities
• Locum GPs
• Frontline health and social care staff employed by the following types of social care providers without employer led occupational health schemes:
  a) registered residential care or nursing home
  b) registered domiciliary care provider
  c) a voluntary managed hospice provider
  d) direct payment (personal budgets) and/or personal health budgets, such as personal assistants.

Please speak to reception staff about arranging an appointment if you know you are eligible for the vaccination or ask if you are not sure about your eligibility.

As you may be aware, the Practice is partaking of delivering the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme as a Member of LiGA Primary Care Network (PCN).  The PCN is made up of seven other local Practices who are sharing the workload.  Work in respect of the Programme has been on-going from January 2021 and will continue with the Autumn Booster (commencing early to mid-September 2022);  vaccinations will be administered at Kidglove House, Kidglove Road, Golborne, Warrington WA3 3GS and you will receive advice nearer the time as to how to book in for your vaccination

The Government have accepted final JCVI advice which states the following people should be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine this autumn:
• residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
• frontline health and social care workers
• all adults aged 50 years and over
• persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, as set out in the Green Book
• persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• persons aged 16 to 49 years who are Carers, as set out in the Green Book (reference book used by your GP and Practice Nurse(s)

A pneumococcal infection can affect anyone. However, some people are at higher risk of serious illness and can be given the pneumococcal vaccination on the NHS. These include, eligible patients are those who have not previously been vaccinated who are aged 65 and over or aged 2 - 64 years at risk which includes patients with chronic respiratory disease, chronic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, diabetes, immunosuppressed & asplenic or dysfunction of the spleen, patients with cochlear implants and patients with cerebrospinal fluid leaks.  Only one dose is required, except for individuals with no spleen, splenic dysfunction or chronic renal disease who will require boosters at five year intervals.  To find out more about pneumococcal vaccination please use the following link http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/pneumococcal-vaccination.aspx and feel free to speak to the Practice Nurse if you require further information.

The National shingles immunisation programme was introduced by the Department of Health some years ago to help protect those people most at risk from shingles and its complications. The shingles vaccine is recommended for those persons aged 70 to 79 years of age and, if you are elligible, you can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year. Please speak to the Practice Nurse if you wish to clarify if you qualify for the shingles vaccination or not, or find further information via the following link http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/shingles-vaccination.aspx and feel free to the Practice Nurse if you require further information. Another useful link is www.shinglesaware.co.uk, if you follow this link and click on the tab for 'Shingles immunisation in England' you will find a useful calculator which, if you have not already undergone the shingles vaccination, will guide you as to your eligibility.

There are 2 shingles vaccines used in the UK:

• Zostavax, a live vaccine given as 1 dose
• Shingrix, a non-live vaccine given as 2 doses, 2 months apart

Most people will have the Zostavax vaccine. The Shingrix vaccine is recommended if Zostavax is not suitable for you, for example if you have a condition that affects your immune system.

Please note that information re any vaccinations mentioned above can change as per Government guidelines though the above are correct as of 22/08/