The Cookham Medical Centre team would like to encourage all patients to have the vaccinations for which they are eligible.
If you are having a Covid Vaccination at the Desborough Suite, Maidenhead Town Hall, you should be offered a flu jab at the same time
There are separate Flu Vaccination Clinics at the Town Hall running at the weekends - these can be booked by calling the surgery on 01628 810242
In response to feedback from patients, we are also running some flu clinics at the surgery on weekdays. Please call the surgery to book
If you are 65 or over then you are eligible for a Pneumonia (Pneumococcal) vaccination if you have not had one before. These are given at the surgery so please call reception to book. If you are under 65 but have a health condition you may also be eligible
If you are aged 70 to 79 you should also be eligible for a Shingles vaccination if you have not had one before.
Some people have medical conditions where the single dose live Shingles vaccination may not be appropriate. There is now a different vaccine given as two doses which is suitable for most of those unable to have the single dose type. The Nurse would be able to give you more information if this applies to you.
Please note If you have had Shingles then you have to wait 12 months before having the vaccination.
Below are extracts from the NHS
www.nhs.uk These explain more about who is eligible and about the two types of Shingles Vaccine.
We hope to see you soon for whichever vaccines you need.
Kind regards,
Jill Stinchcombe
Practice Manager
Cookham Medical Centre
01628 810242
Flu vaccine for people with long-term health conditions The flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS to anyone 65 and over and those under 65 with a serious long-term health condition, including:
respiratory conditions, such as asthma (needing a steroid inhaler or tablets), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and bronchitis
diabetes
heart conditions, such as coronary heart disease or heart failure
being very overweight – a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above
chronic kidney disease
liver disease, such as hepatitis
some neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
a learning disability
problems with your spleen like sickle cell disease, or if you've had your spleen removed
a weakened immune system as a result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or taking medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
Who can have the shingles vaccine?You're eligible for the shingles vaccine when you're aged 70 to 79.
When you're eligible, you can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year.
The shingles vaccine is not available on the NHS to anyone aged 80 and over because it seems to be less effective in this age group.
Is there anyone who should not have the shingles vaccination?
There are 2 shingles vaccines available in the UK:
Zostavax, a live vaccine given as 1 dose
Shingrix, a non-live vaccine given as 2 doses
If Zostavax is not suitable for you, a GP or practice nurse will decide whether to offer you Shingrix instead.
You should not have the shingles vaccine if you've had a serious allergic reaction (including an anaphylactic reaction) in the past to a previous dose of the shingles vaccine, or to any of the ingredients in the vaccine, or to a previous dose of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
If you have a weakened immune system a GP or practice nurse will assess which vaccine is suitable for you. Discuss any health concerns with the GP or practice nurse before you have the vaccine.
Zostavax is not suitable for people who have a weakened immune system due to a condition, treatment or medicine.
The shingles vaccine and other vaccines
You can have a shingles vaccine at the same time as most other vaccines. But try to leave 7 days between the shingles vaccine and a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, so that if you have any side effects you'll know which vaccine they were from.
Get answers to shingles vaccine frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Adults aged 65 or over and the pneumococcal vaccine
If you're 65 or over, you should be offered a type of pneumococcal vaccine known as the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV).
This one-off vaccination is very effective at protecting you against serious forms of pneumococcal infection.
People with health problems and the pneumococcal vaccine
The PPV vaccine is available on the NHS for children and adults aged from 2 to 64 years old who are at a higher risk of developing a pneumococcal infection than the general population.
This is generally the same people who are eligible for annual flu vaccination.
You're considered to be at a higher risk of a pneumococcal infection if you have:
had your spleen removed, your spleen does not work properly, or you're at risk of your spleen not working properly in future (for example, if you have coeliac disease)
a long-term respiratory disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
heart disease, such as congenital heart disease
chronic kidney disease
chronic liver disease, such as liver cirrhosis
diabetes
a suppressed immune system caused by a health condition, such as HIV
a suppressed immune system caused by medicines, such as chemotherapy or steroid tablets
a cochlear implant (a hearing device)
had a leak of cerebrospinal fluid (the clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spine) – this could be the result of an accident or surgery
Adults and children who are severely immunocompromised (including anyone with leukaemia, multiple myeloma, genetic disorders affecting the immune system, or after a bone marrow transplant) usually have a single dose of PCV followed by PPV.
