Influenza

Flu vaccination

Influenza (flu) vaccines protect people at high risk from influenza and reduce transmission of infection; the nasal spray contains live attenuated strains, all other vaccines are inactivated. More information on the flu vaccine can be found:

• BNF - Influenza vaccine | Treatment summaries | BNF | NICE
• Green Book - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/influenza-the-green-book-chapter-19

Flu vaccination 2024 - 2025

Please see the Annual Flu Vaccination Programme page for up to date information on the current years vaccination advice and schedule.

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Released Feb 2024

Please click here for WHO Flu vaccine/virus recommendation for 2024-25 Northern Hemisphere

JCVI guidance on Influenza vaccine for 24/25 - Updated June 24

JCVI Statement on Influenza Vaccines 2024-25_updated_20240612.pdf | Powered by Box

National Flu Immunisation Programme Plan

Influenza vaccines marketed in the UK for 2024 to 2025, including ovalbumin content ( June 24 update)

Flu vaccines for children and young people (June 24)

National flu immunisation programme 2024 to 2025 letter

Statement of amendment to the annual flu letter for 2024 to 2025 – 12 June 2024

NHS England » Preparations for an Autumn/Winter 2024/25 flu and COVID-19 seasonal campaign

Information for Health care practitioners - awaiting updated 24/25 publication

Flu Vaccine: Ovalbumin Content

This table lists all of the ovalbumin content of the influenza vaccines that are marketed in the UK for the 2024 to 2025 flu vaccination season and can be found here.

For information on the use of influenza vaccines in egg allergic individuals please see the green book influenza chapter. 

Flu Vaccine Administration & e-learning

Please click here for the National Minimum Standards and Core Curriculum for Immunisation Training for Registered Healthcare Practitioners. This document sets the standards and lists the essential topics which should be incorporated into immunisation training for registered healthcare practitioners.

Please click here for Flu immunisation training recommendations (updated August 2023)

Health Education England, Flu Immunisation e-learning programme

Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) work with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to update the Flu Immunisation elearning programme each year to ensure it is up to date. This training package is a free package and includes both care knowledge for Flu immunisers as well as specific information on the inactivated Flu Vaccines and Live Flu Vaccine. The 2024/25 update will be published on the following page when available  Flu Immunisation - e-Learning for Healthcare (e-lfh.org.uk) 

National flu slideset 2024/25

The national flu immunisation programme for 2024 to 2025 will be published on the following page when available: Annual flu programme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Health Care Support Workers and administering Flu vaccines guidance: Immunological Products and Vaccines Guidelines (Remedy BNSSG ICB)

Staff Flu Vaccination

Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) have published supporting advice specific to GP practices on the administration of the seasonal ‘flu vaccination to staff highlighting the different options available and can be found here.

This includes a template written instruction for the administration of seasonal flu vaccination Influenza vaccine written instruction templates for adoption – SPS - Specialist Pharmacy Service – The first stop for professional medicines advice) which will be updated for the 2024-25 season.

As per last year it will be important to check you have appropriate indemnity insurance to cover staff vaccination via this route. The NHS (state backed) indemnity (Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice) doesn’t currently cover occupational health interventions such as flu injections to staff for the purposes of their employment. See scheme scope for more information.

Other relevant guidance

NHSE/NHSI Influenza information

Flu vaccination FAQ's

See the FAQs available on the Flu Teamnet page 

If you have any additional questions please email: england.swscreeningandimms@nhs.net 

Flu vaccination for individuals with ME/CFS - BNSSG position (14.10.21)

• Chronic neurological conditions are included in the list of eligible clinical conditions for the flu vaccine for 2021/22 in the Green book and national Flu letter. However, this does not mean that all chronic neurological conditions are included, and currently ME/CFS is not a specifically named condition within that guidance.
• The guidance does highlight that clinicians are able to offer immunisation, based on individual assessment, to clinically vulnerable individuals within this cohort. The individual assessment should take into consideration whether severe functional impairment is present and any impact on the respiratory system. 
• If it is decided that the patient is eligible then the following code ‘Needs influenza immunisation’ (SNOMED Concept ID 185903001) can be used to indicate the patient should receive a flu vaccination.

Influenza treatment and prophylaxis

For up to date information about treatment and prophylaxis then please go to the PHE website:

Influenza: treatment and prophylaxis using anti-viral agents

Influenza outbreaks

BNSSG Influenza Outbreak Antiviral pathway  

Please note this pathway will only be activated once an outbreak has been declared by the Health Protection Team and they will be the ones to contact Mendip Vale to inform them of an outbreak. Prior to an outbreak, clinically unwell patients, some of which may present with flu like symptoms, will be seen as normal on an individual basis by their GP or out of hours.

Vaccine Update newsletters

Check that you’re signed up to receive PHE Vaccine Update each month so that you’re up to date with any news, changes to guidance and can check vaccine supply.

Sign up to receive the newsletter here

Support

The Screening and Immunisation team can be contacted via email: 

England.swvast@nhs.net for all Section 7A screening and immunisation programmes

England.swicars@nhs.net for the Immunisations Clinical Advice Service (ICARS)

General campaign resources:

• NHS England and NHS Improvement South West flu resources NHS E and NHS Improvement South West influenza resources and information for professionals
• Resources to support the 2024/25 flu immunisations programme Gov.UK resources to support the 2024/25 flu immunisations programme can be found here, including easy read resources

Resources to support people with a learning disability: Please see the LD Annual Health Check page of Remedy

Other Languages

BNSSG Healthier Together have produced a short animation explaining the benefits of the flu vaccination in a range of community languages. Thanks to the support of local volunteers we have been able to record the animation in 12 of the languages spoken in our community: Farsi; Kurdish ; Arabic; Bengali; Urdu; Somali; Punjabi; Turkish; Pashto; Mandarin; French and Vietnamese. You can view the videos on our YouTube page where you can also find other information videos in a range of community languages. 

National leaflets in a variety of languages are also available on the following sites see:

• Flu vaccination for children: leaflets and posters - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• UKHSA Resources - Search Publications - Health Publications

Enhanced Service documents

NHS England » General practice enhanced service specification: Seasonal influenza vaccination programme 2024/25

NHS England » General practice enhanced service specification: Childhood seasonal influenza vaccination programme 2024/25

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.