Covid and Flu – Autumn 2025

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We will be holding clinics starting in early October. Invites will be sent out via a text message or we will contact you if you do not have a mobile phone number on your records.

Covid 19 boosters – The eligibility criteria have changed.

For autumn 2025, COVID-19 vaccination will 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

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.

Eligibility for the immunosuppressed – We understand that having a weakened immune system (immunosuppression) is a lot less straight forward than the other criteria. Looking online can cause even more confusion, as people might see themselves (and be considered by others) as immunosuppressed but might not fit the immunosuppression criteria for vaccination.

So, what are the immunosuppression criteria? Eligibility is outlined in 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 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.

Flu – the From September 2025 we will offer flu vaccines to:

  • pregnant women;
  • Children (FLU VACCINE)- we will send invites to the parent/guardian of eligible children via a text message to book a clinic.  
  • All children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025 and all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years.
  • Primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6) and secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11) will be offered the vaccine at school

From October 2025, exact start date to be confirmed by NHS England in due course:

  • those aged 65 years and over
  • those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
  • carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
  • close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
  • frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

All frontline health care workers, including both clinical and non-clinical staff who have contact with patients

Social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to flu should also have the flu vaccine provided by their employer.

The National Booking Service are sending out invites on behalf of NHS England via text, e-mail, and post. This is run as a separate campaign offering you the choice of booking to go to a local centre.