West Meon Surgery

Flu clinics

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2020/21

The Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its many complications.

The Flu vaccine is the best protection we have against an unpredictable virus that can cause unpleasant illness in children and severe illness and death amongst at-risk groups, including older people, pregnant women and those with an underlying medical health condition. Studies have shown that the flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu.

It will not stop all flu viruses and the level of protection may vary, so it’s not a 100% guarantee that you’ll be flu-free. But if you do get flu after vaccination, it’s likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been.

Eligible patients have a right to decline the vaccine should they not wish to have it. We would be grateful if you would let us know if you do not want the vaccine  This enables us to keep our records up to date and will prevent you from receiving another invite this year. Please note you will still be invited next year.

Flu clinics

Once again this year we will be holding flu clinics at West Meon village. This will allow us the space required to host multiple patients whilst reducing the risk of transmission of the Corona virus. Patients will be required to walk to the back of the village hall from the car park, and come in through the back doors.

We are asking ALL patients to please wear a face mask when attending the clinics.  This can be a surgical mask, bandana or scarf as long as it covers both your mouth and nose, this is to protect you and staff members.

We will have members of staff at the back door to direct patients so that we can structure and monitor the amount of patients coming and leaving the building at one time, ensuring social distancing is kept in-tact.

What is flu?

Flu is an unpleasant disease that spreads quickly and easily through coughing and sneezing. Flu can also give you headaches, a sore throat, fever, chills, and muscle and joint aches.

Those people who are at risk, either because of their age or medical conditions, may develop complications such as chest infections and pneumonia

Why get the vaccine?

The vaccine provides the best available protection against flu. It is not 100% but it will protect a significant number of people and reduce the severity of flu if you get it. It could also help your relatives or carers because you will not be passing the disease to them.

Who should get it?

Young babies, older people, pregnant women and those who have other underlying health conditions, especially those of the lungs, heart, liver or kidneys, are particularly vulnerable to serious complications and possibly hospitalization. Every year in the UK a number of people in these groups die from the complications of flu.

  • All children aged two to ten (but not eleven years or older) on 31 August 2020. (All primary school children and Year 7 in secondary school (date of birth on or after 1 September 2008 and on or before 31 August 2016) will be offered through a school age immunisation service)
  • Those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/who-should-have-flu-vaccine/
  • Pregnant women.
  • Those aged 65 years and over.
  • Those in long-stay residential care homes.
  • Carers.
  • Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals.
  • Health and social care staff employed by a registered residential care/nursing home, registered domiciliary care provider, or a voluntary managed hospice provider.

Anyone in an ‘at risk’ group is more likely to develop potentially serious complications of flu, such as pneumonia (a lung infection), so it’s recommended that they have a flu vaccine every year to help protect them.

Booking an appointment

To book an appointment to get your vaccination, telephone the surgery on 01730 829666.

Alternatively, if you are registered for online services with the surgery, you book on line https://patient.emisaccess.co.uk/Account/Login   or via the NHS app.

Please do not book an appointment  if you are not eligible. You will maybe preventing someone at risk from receiving theirs and we will not provide you with a vaccination if you arrive at the clinics.  If you are in any doubt about your eligibility, please telephone us 0n 01730829666.

What are the types of flu vaccine?

There are several types of flu vaccine. You’ll be offered one that’s most effective for you, depending on your age:

  • Children aged 2 to 17 in an eligible group are offered a live attenuated quadrivalent vaccine (LAIV), given as a nasal spray
  • Adults aged 18 to 64 who are pregnant, at increased risk from flu because of a long-term health condition, or a frontline health or social care worker are offered a quadrivalent injected vaccine – the vaccine offered will have been grown either in eggs or cells (QIVe or QIVc), both of which are considered to be equally suitable
  • Adults aged 65 and over will be offered either an adjuvanted trivalent injected vaccine grown in eggs (aTIV) or a cell-grown quadrivalent injected vaccine (QIVc) – both vaccines are considered to be equally suitable