Vaccinations & Immunisation

Vaccination is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves and our children against ill health. They prevent up to 3 million deaths worldwide every year.

Since vaccines were introduced in the UK, disease like smallpox, polio and tetanus that used to kill or disable millions of people are either gone or seen very rarely. Other disease like measles and diphtheria have been reduced by up to 99.9% since their vaccines were introduced.

However, if people stop having vaccines, it is possible for infectious disease to quickly spread again as immunity will decrease.

For a complete list of NHS vaccinations, please click here.

The NHS website relating to childhood immunisations provides lots of helpful information, assurance and guidance for parents who are preparing to vaccinate their children.

Flu

For information about our Autumn 2025 Flu vaccination clinics click here

 

Flu and Covid

For information about our Autumn 2025 Flu & Covid vaccination clinics here

The Autumn/Winter COVID campaign will run from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026. If you are recorded as a housebound patient aged 75 or over, or are recorded as immunosuppressed by the practice, you will be contacted, and we will book your housebound appointment. This may not be at the start of the campaign, but we will contact you before 31 January 2026 to arrange your vaccination. Please don’t worry if you receive a reminder from NHS England before we have contacted you – this is a national message and does not mean you have been missed. Your vaccination needs are held locally within the Somerset system, and you will be contacted before 31 January 2026 to arrange your vaccination. If you would like us to confirm that you are coded as housebound on our system, our staff can check this for you. Thank you for your patience.

Shingles

Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin around it. It is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.

Following chickenpox infection, the virus can lie dormant in the nervous tissue but may reappear following reactivation as shingles. It is possible to have shingles more than once.

The NHS Shingles Vaccination Programme provides a free vaccination to all patients aged between 70 and 79 years, and the vaccination is provided by your practice.  You will be invited for your vaccination, but if you are between 70 and 79 years and want to arrange your vaccine appointment, please contact the practice.

The shingles eligibility criteria has changed from 1st September 2023. To find out if you are eligible, please visit National Immunisation Programme (getshinglesready.co.uk) or call the surgery and speak to one of our receptionists who will use a shingles calculator to let you know.

As of 1st September 2023, those eligible are:

  • Age 50+ who are immunosuppressed
  • Age 65 on or after 1st September 2023 (if you were 65 before the 1st September 2023, you will be eligible when you turn 70)
  • Age 70-79 years old. You are no longer eligible from your 80th birthday.