In line with government guidance, the main 2025-26 autumn / winter flu and COVID vaccination campaign commences on 1^st October.   Children aged 2 or 3 years old on 31 August 2025 are eligible for nasal flu from 1 September but we are unlikely to receive this vaccine until mid-September.  Pregnant women can also be vaccinated from 1 September but we are not receiving our delivery of flu vaccine until mid-September.

Please note, eligibility for the seasonal flu vaccination remains the same as previous years, however eligibility for a COVID booster is different and is the same as the spring booster campaign.

Eligibility for a Flu Vaccination

• 65 years and over;
• 18 – 64 years at clinical risk;
• Those in long stay residential care homes;
• Carers of elderly or disabled persons;
• Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals;
• Frontline workers in a social care setting.

Eligibility for a COVID Booster

• Residents in a care home for older adults;
• All adults aged 75 years and over;
• Patients aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed*.

Timing of the COVID booster

Please note that the covid booster should be given 6 months after your last covid vaccination.

We will be inviting patients based on the date of their spring covid booster, so if you had your spring booster on 10 April, we will invite you to our clinic on 17 October.

Patients wanting COVID and Flu vaccination given separately

Patients who are eligible for both the covid and the flu vaccination will be given both vaccinations in a single appointment. 

We respect that some patients do not want to receive their covid and flu vaccinations on the same day.  If this is the case, please book for your flu vaccination with the surgery and go online to book your covid vaccination at https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/vaccination-and-booking-services/book-covid-19-vaccination/or contact the Hampshire and Isle of Wight COVID Helpline to book your covid booster: 0300 561 0018 Mon -Fri 9am-5pm and 9am-1pm on Sat & Sun.  

We would prefer you to have your flu vaccination with the surgery because we must order these in advance and pay for them as a surgery.

We have clinics scheduled at our Broughton Surgery on the following dates:

Friday 3^rd October – Flu ONLY for eligible patients

Saturday 4^th October – COVID and Flu for eligible patients.  Flu only for eligible patients.

 Friday 17^th October – COVID and Flu for eligible patients.  Flu only for eligible patients.

We will offer one final clinic on a Saturday morning in November for patients who are still unvaccinated.

Eligible patients will receive an invitation via SMS, email or letter.

Housebound patients will be notified of their vaccination date by telephone.  This is most likely to be in November. 

During this busy time, we try hard to minimise disruption to our core primary care services. This includes protecting our Reception team so that they can remain focused on supporting patients who need triaging into urgent and routine appointments.

If you have a query about either the flu or covid vaccination please email us if you can: hiowicb-hsi.stockbridgesurgery@nhs.net or call the surgery between 11am-12.45pm or 4-6pm.

*So, what are the immunosuppression criteria? Eligibility is outlined in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-the-green-book-chapter-14a, a document published by UKHSA specifically for public health professionals. It can be a complicated document for non-experts, so we've listed some of the groups here:

• Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients
• Those being treated with systemic steroids, such as prednisolone, for more than a month
• Those living with HIV
• Those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy
• Those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Those requiring long-term treatment for immunosuppression
• Those with a history of haematological malignancy including chronic leukaemia, lymphomas, and leukaemia
• Those with genetic disorders affecting the immune system

While this list summarises some major groups, it does not cover everything. Please click here to see if you are eligible: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/vaccination-and-booking-services/book-covid-19-vaccination/

Some medications are prescribed for patients by the hospital.  Our searches are looking for medication prescribed recently.   If your medication is prescribed by the hospital and you have not been invited for your covid vaccination please email us on hiowicb-hsi.stockbridgesurgery@nhs.net giving details of your medication. 

You can request a COVID pass by ringing 119 or online. 

You do not need to have the NHS App.

Please use the links below:

If you are aged over 12 years old: NHS COVID Pass - NHS (nhsx.nhs.uk) 

On 29 July 2022 we have been advised that parents and guardians can now request a digital NHS COVID Pass for travel  for children aged 5 to 11. This provides a record of the child’s vaccinations and proof of a positive COVID-19 NHS PCR test in the past 180 days.  Travel letters for 5-11 year olds who have received a full primary course of a COVID-19 vaccination, as well as recovery letters showing proof of a positive COVID-19 NHS PCR test in the past 180 days for this age group, are already available.

For children aged 5-11 years old: Who are you requesting an NHS COVID Pass for? - Get your NHS COVID Pass - NHS (nhsx.nhs.uk)

Information for patients explaining how your data is being processed to support vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research.

This practice is supporting vital coronavirus (COVID-19) planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. This transparency notice supplements our main practice privacy notice.

Please visit https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/gpes-data-for-pandemic-planning-and-research/general-practice-transparency-notice

Click here for further information and advice about self-isolation

Click here for information about protecting the extremely vulnerable

Click here for a video to help children to understand about the Coronavirus