Flu and Covid Vaccinations – Winter 2025

How do I book my Flu and Covid appointment?

This year the criteria has changed, and the eligible groups are different. For autumn 2025, COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to:

This represents a change from the autumn 2024 programme, which also included adults aged 65 to 74 and all those aged 6 months and over in a clinical risk group.

You will be sent communication from your preferred contact method advising you how to book an appointment.

What if I am housebound?

We offer Flu and Covid to our Housebound patients if you are eligible. A member of the team will contact you to organise an appointment for a clinician to attend to see you. The practice will contact you from September to book appointments starting in October.

What if I cannot attend my appointment?

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please cancel via the NHS App, Online Services, or by telephone on 01752 346634.

What can I expect when I attend my appointment:

Please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible to reduce queues.
Please do not attend with another person unless they are a carer.
Please wear appropriate clothing so that you are ready for your injection in your arm.
Please be aware that some sites will have limited parking due to the number of patients attending these clinics.

Please note on Saturday 4th October 2025 the clinic held at Ivybridge Health Centre only has disabled parking available. There is alternative parking in the town centre and in nearby streets.

If your appointment is at the Watermark, please ensure you register your car at the parking metre.  When you enter the Watermark there will be clear signs to direct you to the clinic. There is a lift that can be used to support you to Level 1.

Clinic dates and sites:

4th October 2025 – Ivybridge Health centre (disabled parking only)

5th, 11th and 18th October 2025 – Plympton Health centre

12 and 19th October 2025 – The Watermark Ivybridge

Patient Eligibility for Covid

In June the Government accepted final Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice and announced the cohort eligibility regarding a COVID-19 Autumn/Winter 2025/26 vaccination programme.

The announced and authorised cohorts eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in AW 2025/26 are:

• Residents in a care home for older adults
• All adults aged 75 years and over
• Persons aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (full details are below)

Immunosuppression 

• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, patients undergoing radical radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement disorder, SCID). 
• Individuals who are receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy including, but not limited to, anti-TNF, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, rituximab, patients receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, and individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil. 
• Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day for adults. 
• Anyone with a history of haematological malignancy, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. 
• Those who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis.
• Some immunosuppressed patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine (see Immunosuppression and HIV).

The autumn 2025 vaccination programme will target people who are at the highest risk of serious illness to protect the most vulnerable.

The start date for adult flu vaccinations aligns to COVID-19 vaccinations to support co-administration of flu and COVID-19 wherever possible and provide the best possible protection as we head in to winter. All adult cohorts will, start from 1^st October 2025.

In line with JCVI advice, frontline health and social care workers (HSCWs) and staff working in care homes for older adults will not be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination under the national programme for autumn 2025.

Patients eligible for flu only are

The NHS recommends flu vaccination for several groups: 

From 1 September 2025

• Pregnant women 
• All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025 
• Children with certain long-term health conditions (aged 6 months to less than 18 years) 
• Primary school aged children (from reception to Year 6) 
• Secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11) 
• All children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to under 18 years 

From 1 October 2025

• Everyone aged 65 years and over 
• Individuals aged 18 to under 65 with certain long-term health conditions 
• Care home residents 
• Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person 
• Those living with people who are immunocompromised 
• Frontline health and social care workers 

The NHS website contains further information on eligibility, but if you’re unsure whether you’re able to have a free vaccination you can consult your GP, practice nurse, or pharmacist. If you’re pregnant you can also consult your midwife. 

Flu can be particularly dangerous for certain groups, including pregnant women, young children, and those with certain long-term health conditions. The vaccines can’t be used to prevent flu in babies under 6 months, which is why it is so important that pregnant women have the vaccination. Women will pass on some immunity to their baby, protecting the child during the early months of their life. The flu vaccine can be given at any stage of your pregnancy, but it’s best to get vaccinated as soon as you can.

CLINICAL RISK GROUPS
Chronic respiratory disease (ie copd & Asthma)	Individuals with a severe lung condition, including those with poorly controlled asthma1 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) including chronic bronchitis and emphysema; bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).
Chronic heart disease and vascular disease	Congenital heart disease, hypertension with cardiac complications, chronic heart failure, individuals requiring regular medication and/or follow-up for ischaemic heart disease. This includes individuals with atrial fibrillation, peripheral vascular disease or a history of venous thromboembolism
Chronic kidney disease	Chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, kidney transplantation
Chronic liver disease	Cirrhosis, biliary atresia, chronic hepatitis.
Chronic neurological disease	Stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Conditions in which respiratory function may be compromised due to neurological or neuromuscular disease (e.g. polio syndrome sufferers). This group also includes individuals with cerebral palsy, severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) including all those on the learning disability register, Down’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and related or similar conditions; or hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles; or severe neurological disability.
Diabetes mellitus and other endocrine disorders	Any diabetes, including diet-controlled diabetes, current gestational diabetes, and Addison’s disease
Immunosuppression	Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, patients undergoing radical radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement disorder, SCID). Individuals who are receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy including, but not limited to, anti-TNF, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, rituximab, patients receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, and individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil. Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day for adults. Anyone with a history of haematological malignancy, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Those who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis Some immunosuppressed patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine (see Immunosuppression and HIV).
Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen	This also includes conditions that may lead to splenic dysfunction, such as homozygous sickle cell disease, thalassemia major and coeliac syndrome
Morbid obesity	Adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m²
Severe mental illness	Individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment
Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings	Many younger adults in residential care settings will be eligible for vaccination because they fall into one of the clinical risk groups above (for example learning disabilities). Given the likely high risk of exposure in these settings, where a high proportion of the population would be considered eligible, vaccination of the whole resident population is recommended. Younger residents in care homes for the elderly will be at high risk of exposure, and although they may be at lower risk of mortality than older residents should not be excluded from vaccination programmes (see priority 1 above).
Pregnancy	All stages (first, second and third trimesters)