02/10/2025
🍂 ❄️💉 It’s time to roll up your sleeves - this year's annual flu vaccination programme has begun!
Remember: Flu isn’t a heavy cold, it’s a highly infectious disease. For some, flu can lead to hospitalisation, permanent disability or even death.
Last year’s vaccine won’t protect you now – the flu virus keeps changing, so the vaccine must too. Getting the flu vaccination is the best way to ensure you remain fit and well this winter while protecting those around you.
❓ Who gets it?
• children aged two and three years on 31 August 2025
• school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive)
• people aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
• people aged 65 years and older (age on 31 March 2026)
• all adult residents in Welsh prisons
• pregnant women
• carers of a person whose health or welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill
• frontline health and social care workers
• people experiencing homelessness
• household contacts of the immunocompromised
• poultry workers
📅 When will I receive a vaccine?
For adults the autumn/winter flu programme will run from Wednesday 1st October 2025 until the end of January 2026.
With the exception of pregnant women who could receive their vaccine from September.
The vaccination programme for children also began in September 2025.
📨 How and when will I hear?
Those eligible for the flu vaccination will either be given an appointment by your GP surgery or you can visit your community pharmacy. Please check pharmacy for local arrangements.
The appointment being offered is for this year's flu vaccination.
You may hear from us towards the early part of October.
But don’t worry if you don’t hear from us straight away, appointments will be given as we work through the eligibility groups.
Ideally, you should receive your vaccine before the end of November, however if you become pregnant after this time, or are diagnosed with a condition making you eligible for a flu vaccine, you can still receive your vaccine up until March 2026.
There is no need to contact your GP surgery or the health board. If you are eligible, you will be sent an appointment.
If you are a resident in a care home, or housebound, your vaccination will be offered either by primary care providers or the immunisation team.
❌ How can I cancel or change my appointment?
If you are unable to make your appointment, please refer to your invitation letter for details on how you can rearrange.
If you wish to have further information on this, please contact 01792 200492. We appreciate our telephone lines may be busy at times, and apologise for this in advance.
🚸 How will children and young people be offered the vaccine?
Children and young people aged 2-3 years old, and those in reception class all the way to year 11, will be offered the fluenz nasal spray.
Eligible children aged 2 and 3 years old will primarily receive their vaccine from their GP surgery.
The school nursing team will offer the vaccine to all children attending primary and secondary school.
If you are a parent or guardian of a child not attending school, please contact your GP surgery to arrange vaccination.
Further information about the autumn/winter 2025 flu programme will be added to this page as and when it becomes available - https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/vaccinations-in-swansea-and-neath-port-talbot1/vaccine-information/flu-vaccinations-autumnwinter-2025/
