Flu vaccines: one small jab to protect against flu

Flu is more than a bad cold. It can leave you ill for days and can sometimes lead to serious illness, hospital treatment or even death.

Flu can hit harder if you already have a health problem.

That’s why the NHS offers free flu vaccines to people under 65 at risk of becoming seriously ill.

Eligible patients in Gosforth and Jesmond will soon receive invitations to book their free NHS flu vaccine. If you get a text, please book your appointment.

💉 Why getting the flu vaccine is important

The flu vaccine helps your body recognise flu and fight it off.

Flu viruses change each year, and protection fades over time. That’s why you need a new flu vaccine every year.

The vaccine doesn’t guarantee that you won’t catch flu. But it can reduce your risk of serious illness and hospitalisation.

🤒 “I’ve had flu before and been fine”

You may have had flu before without becoming seriously ill. But there is no way to know how badly another infection will affect you.

The flu vaccine does not guarantee that you will not catch flu. It lowers your risk of becoming seriously ill or needing hospital treatment.

It can also help protect the people around you by making it less likely that you will pass flu on.

You may have been fine last time. The next time could be different. A small jab can help protect you.

6 in 10

under-65s at higher risk didn’t have their flu vaccine last winter

Almost 2×

flu hospital admissions were almost twice as high as the winter before

Up to 120,200

flu hospital admissions were prevented by vaccination last winter

One small jab. One less chance of flu knocking you out.

👥 Who is offered the vaccine?

The NHS offers free flu vaccines to people at higher risk from flu. This includes people under 65 with conditions such as asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and some neurological conditions.

The NHS also offers flu vaccines to other groups, including older people, pregnant women, babies and young children.

📱 What do I need to do?

If you receive a text inviting you to have your flu vaccine, please book your appointment online.

We’re holding special clinics at Regent Medical Centre in Gosforth on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October. Staff from the 6 GP practices will be working with our Primary Care Network team to put on these extra weekend clinics.

We’ll send you information about how to get there and how the clinics will run once you’ve booked your appointment.

A jab is your best protection against flu. Don’t let flu knock you out.

For more information about flu and the other vaccines offered this autumn, see our seasonal vaccine guide.

Flu vaccines: one small jab to protect against flu