Our Covid Autumn Booster Vaccination Clinics commence on 1st October 2025. If you are eligible for this vaccine, you will receive an invitation to book an appointment. 

There are some changes to who can get the COVID vaccine this autumn. Please read this important update:

When autumn comes, the protection from your last COVID vaccine might not be as strong. The NHS gives free vaccines to people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID. The COVID vaccine, just like the flu vaccine, helps protect people who might get very ill from the viruses going around.

What’s new this year?

In the past, the rules for who could get the COVID and flu vaccines were the same. This autumn, the rules have changed and been accepted by NHS England. The people who decide about vaccines (called the JCVI) have said that only those at the highest risk should get the COVID vaccine. You can learn more about this here: JCVI statement on COVID-19 vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026 - GOV.UK

Starting 1st October 2025, Covid vaccinations will only be offered to:

• Adults aged 75 years and over 
• Residents in care homes for older adults 
• Individuals who are immunosuppressed (aged 6 months and over) 

Updated: 22nd September 2025

Flu vaccines will continue to be offered to:

From 1 September  

• Pregnant Women  
• Primary and Secondary School aged children – to be done at school with the school aged immunisation teams 
• Pre-school children aged 2-3years old (DOB between – 01/09/2021 and 31/08/2023 
• Children in clinical risk groups aged 6 months – 18 Years  

From 1 October 2025:  

• All Adults aged 65 years and over  
• Patients who are 18 years old – 64 Years old who are in a clinical risk group and/or immunosuppressed
• Residents in long term residential care homes  
• Carers who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or who are the main carer of an older or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk
• Household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals 
• Frontline health and social care workers both clinical and non-clinical who have contact with patients/service users including those who work in a nursing home/residential home.  

Last Updated: 22nd September 2025

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including: cough, sore throat, sneezing, a runny or blocked nose. It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system.

The RSV vaccine is recommended if:

• you're pregnant – the vaccine is recommended during every pregnancy (from 28 weeks onwards) to help protect your baby after they're born
• you're aged 75 to 79

You can find out more by clicking on this link: RSV vaccine for adults (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Last Updated: 21st August 2025

What’s the difference between being immunosuppressed and being in a clinical risk group?  

Immunosuppressed people have a weak immune system. Often this is because of conditions like cancer or treatments like chemotherapy. This makes it harder for their body to fight infections and they are especially vulnerable. Often they need extra protection from vaccines such as covid.  

A clinical risk group includes a wider range of people. Such as those with asthma, diabetes, or heart problems. They are more likely to get seriously ill from infections but may still have a normal immune system. While both groups are important, immunosuppressed people are at even higher risk. Making sure they are protected with the right vaccines is a top priority. 

The Flu Vaccine is recommended for those in a clinical risk group as set out below:

• Conditions that affect your breathing, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis 

• Heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure 

• Chronic kidney disease 

• Liver disease, such as cirrhosis or hepatitis 

• Some conditions that affect your brain or nerves, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy 

• Diabetes or Addison's disease 

• A weakened immune system due to a condition such as HIV or AIDS, or due to a treatment such as chemotherapy or steroid medicine 

• Problems with your spleen, such as sickle cell disease, or if you've had your spleen removed 

• A learning disability 

• Being very overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)

However, You may be eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccine if you have a weakened immune system (immunosuppressed) because of a health condition or treatment. 
 
This can include if you: 

• Have or had blood cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma 

• Have had an organ transplant, bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant 

• Have HIV 

• Have a genetic disorder that affects your immune system, such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) 

• Are having or recently had chemotherapy, biological therapy or radiotherapy 

• Are taking steroid medicine (depending on the dose) 
• Are having long-term immunosuppressive treatment for a condition such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), scleroderma or psoriasis 

This list is a summary and does not include everything. Sometimes our systems are not aligned with the hospitals system about medication.  If you have not been contacted for a COVID vaccine but believe you fall into one of these groups, please contact us on 01425 201111 or via Rapid Health.  

Can I choose which COVID vaccine I have?  

Our national team send us COVID vaccines to give to our patients. We don’t necessarily order or choose which vaccine we receive.   During our clinics, the vaccinator giving you the vaccine will always tell you which vaccine you are having. They may suggest an alternative if they have a specific reason for doing so.  

My household contact is immunosuppressed, can I have a COVID vaccine?  

Unfortunately, the JVCI have not recommended that household contacts should be included in the vaccination cohorts for this campaign like last year, so we are not able to give you an appointment for a vaccination. There is the opportunity to get the vaccine privately now. You can find details online of places that are offering private Covid vaccinations.  

I am Housebound, when will I receive my vaccine?  

We have contacted patients who are Housebound. This is to notify them they are on our list and we will contact them again to arrange a visit between October 2025 and January 2026. If you are housebound and have not received a Text/NHS App Message or Letter about a home visit, please get in touch. We can then assess your need for a home visit. 

My Child (6 months-4 years, 5-12 and 13-18 years) requires a COVID vaccine as they are at risk, can they come along to the clinics? 

Your child requires a lower dose of the vaccine that we give adults. It contains the same strain as the adult vaccines but at a much lower strength. There will be specific clinics for this age group of patients.

My Child is eligible for the Flu vaccine, can they have this at the same time as the COVID vaccine during mass clinics?  

Yes, it  will be possible to co-administer vaccines in our clinics.