| Seasonal Flu Vaccination | |
| About this Clinic This clinic is called: Seasonal Flu Vaccination It is a part of: Innoculations and Vaccinations Service It is operated by: Testvale Surgery Nurse Practitioner |
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| Clinic Location | Is a Referral required? |
| The clinic is held in the treatment room at Testvale Surgery | Patients at higher risk from seasonal flu may be contacted by the surgery to arrange their vaccinations ahead of those not in high risk groups. |
| When and How Long... | Do I need to make an appointment? |
| These clinics are seasonal, run annually, usually starting in September and running through to early December. As notified on the Surgery Website and Notice Boards. The consultation is 5 minutes. Patients may be asked to remain in the surgery for up to 30 minutes after receiving the vaccine if there is reason to suspect any adverse reaction. | This is a walk in clinic and patients will be seen on a First Come - First Seen basis. |
| Are there any Fees or Charges? | How do I make an appointment? |
| There is no charge for this service where the procedure is covered by the NHS. Private treatments will be charged, your GP will discuss any fees payable with you. | You will need to make an appointment to attend the clinic. Please contact reception when clinic dates are published. |
| Scope Seasonal flu is a highly infectious respiratory illness caused by a flu virus. It spreads rapidly through the coughs and sneezes of infected people.Seasonal flu immunisation, or the flu jab, is the injection of a vaccine against flu. It gives good protection from flu that lasts for one year.The flu jab is offered to people in at-risk groups, who are at greater risk of developing serious complications from flu. To stay protected, they need to have it every year.The vaccine, which is normally available in the autumn, is made from the strains of flu that are expected in winter.Unfortunately the flu virus changes or mutates every year and vaccines stop being effective. What To Expect The flu jab is a single injection given in the upper arm.There can be side effects but these are usually mild. The nursing staff will discuss any side effects with you before administering the injection.About a week to 10 days after you have had the flu jab, your body starts making antibodies to the virus in the vaccine.The flu virus changes every year, so you need to have a flu jab annually to make sure that you are protected against the latest strain of the virus.The flu vaccines currently available give 70-80% protection against infection, with flu virus strains closely matching those in the vaccine.In the elderly, protection against infection may be less, but immunisation reduces the chances of pneumonia, hospital admissions and death from seasonal flu. Follow Up and Post-Clinic Your vaccination will be recorded in your notes and we will contact you again next year when the vaccine becomes available. Further information and resources The Resource Room, operated by The Friends of Testvale Surgery may be able to provide additional information and leaflets if available. **Please Note** We advise that you check with reception on the availability and timings of this clinic. Sometimes it is necessary to re-schedule or cancel clinics due to matters beyond our control. We will post any changes to Clinic times on the notice board in the surgery and in the Notice Board section of the Surgery Website as soon as they become known. |
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