Patients who are over the age of 65 years or patients of any age who are deemed "at risk" due to certain medical conditions will be invited to have a flu vaccination.  The Public Health Agency advise the practice which patients should be invited to attend for flu vaccination before the flu vaccination campaign begins in the Autumn.

At Risk Patients:

• If you are aged 65 years or over or if you are on regular inhaled steroids
• If you have a chronic respiratory disease (including asthma)
• If you have chronic heart disease
• If you have chronic renal disease
• If you are diabetic
• If you have a weak immune system
• If you live in a long-stay residential or nursing home
• If you have a chronic liver disease
• If you are a carer

Vaccination continues to help protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19.

Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the following groups will be offered COVID-19 vaccine:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in tables three and four in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book(external link opens in a new window / tab))

If you are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19, you should contact the surgery or local pharmacy to make an appointment to get vaccinated.

Everybody aged 65 and over should now be immunised to help protect them against pneumococcal infection which can cause diseases such as pneumonia, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and meningitis.

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs.

RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:

• cough
• sore throat
• sneezing
• a runny or blocked nose

RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.

You are eligible for the vaccine if you:

• turn 75 years old on or after 1 September 2024
• are aged 75 to 79 years old
• are aged 80 years old (vaccine available up to and including 31 August 2025)

If you are not yet 75, your GP will invite you after you have reached your 75^th birthday.

New RSV vaccination programme approved | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk)

You are eligible for the vaccine if you are in any of the following groups:

• aged 65 on 1 September 2023
• aged 70 on 1 September 2023
• aged 50 or over on 1 September 2023 and have a severely weakened immune system

If you fall into the group above you need to as your GP for the vaccine. 

Peope aged 80 or over

The vaccine's effect diminishes with age, therefore people aged 80 or older aren't eligible to receive the vaccine.