Winter vaccine roll out kicks off with flu vaccinations for children and pregnant women

Children and pregnant women are the first in line for their annual flu vaccination as the NHS ramps up its preparations for winter.

The NHS is sending out millions of invitations this month to remind eligible people to come forward as soon as they can, but they do not need to wait for an invitation to book. Those eligible can book quickly and easily on the NHS website, NHS App or by calling 119.

Getting vaccinated is one of the best ways of protecting yourself and the people around you from the debilitating effects of flu. Eligible children and pregnant women are the focus for the first phase of the vaccination programme this month, from October the flu vaccination is being offered to everyone aged 65 and over, under 65s in clinical risk groups, care home residents and carers, close contacts of those who are immunosuppressed, frontline social care workers, and health and social care staff.

Younger children (aged two or three) will be vaccinated at flu clinics run by their GP, with parents invited to make an appointment. For the first time as part of a national drive to get more children protected, school immunisation teams in some of parts of the Slough will be offering flu vaccines to 2–3-year-olds in nurseries with this expected to roll out more widely. Parents of school aged children will be contacted by their school aged immunisation service to complete a consent form and access vaccination in school or via a community clinic. Parents are strongly encouraged to fill out their consent forms to enable their child to get protected.

Children will be offered the nasal vaccine, as this is the most effective for them, as well as being more convenient and easily administered when compared to a jab. If this is not suitable for your child speak to your GP or practice nurse to discuss alternatives.

Pregnant women can have the jab at any point in their pregnancy through their GP, pharmacy or in the hospital antenatal clinics and many of the community midwifery hubs.

The flu vaccine is estimated to have prevented around 100,000 people from being hospitalised in England last winter by helping protect those at risk from getting seriously ill, particularly during the colder months when people gather indoors and viruses spread.

Despite this, there were more than 300,000 hospital bed days taken up by patients with flu last winter – almost double the previous winter (175,062 in 2023-24) and close to 50% higher than the year before (216,120 in 2022-23) – adding pressure to NHS services during the busy period.

The RSV vaccine was offered to pregnant women and older adults in England for the first time last September and has now helped to protect more than two million eligible people since the rollout kicked off.

Kathy Franks, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Lead Midwife for Maternal and Neonatal immunisations said: “Getting vaccinated while pregnant is the best way to protect your baby from the moment they are born, as it passes on that extra protection to them and helps keep you safe during pregnancy.

“Vaccinations against flu, whooping cough and RSV are recommended by the NHS for pregnant women and are proven to be safe for mothers and babies.

“With flu jabs available from the 1 September for women at any stage of their pregnancy, now is the time for mums to act to make sure their babies are protected ahead of their first few months this winter, with whooping cough vaccines available from 20 weeks and RSV from 28 weeks.”

Pregnant mums are offered the RSV jab at their 31-week antenatal appointment, or alongside older adults aged 75, via their local GP practice or participating pharmacy.

Based on scientific advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), those eligible for a flu vaccination this Autumn/Winter include:

From 1 September 2025:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

From 1 October 2025:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined in the Influenza chapter of the Green Book)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• 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

Health and social care staff will also be offered a flu vaccine from their organisation from 1 October 2025, with multiple convenient options to get vaccinated based around working and shift patterns.

This year’s autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme will run from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026 and those eligible include:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book