There have been changes to the shingles vaccination programme. Unfortunately the communications around those changes is contradictory and confusing. A clarification page has now been posted on the Gov.UK website. Until they are rectified, the nationally produced leaflets and advertising say that all patients aged 65 are eligible for shingles vaccination but this is not accurate.
The situation is that patients who turn 65 on or after 1st September 2023 are eligible and we will be contacting patients to make an appointment after their birthday. If you turned 65 prior to 1st September 2023 then you will become eligible for vaccination from the age of 70. Over the next 5 years the programme will gradually bring in everyone aged 65-69 and also everyone already eligible aged 70-79.
Therefore please do not make an appointment for a vaccination unless we have contacted you as you may not be eligible, even if you are 65. We appreciate this may be frustrating but the vaccine is only available in limited quantities and we are not able to vaccinate outside of the national programme which works on date of birth and not current age in years.
To clarify, if your date of birth is 1st September 1958 to 31 August 1959 then you will become eligble for shingles vaccination when you turn 65. In addition anyone aged 70-79 is also eligible, this part of the programme is unchanged.
Updated 25/9/23
