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Winter Flu Jab Service

Help protect yourself against flu

Book your appointment at a time and place that's convenient for you. Many of our pharmacies are open seven days a week, including some evenings.

Most of our stores offer the free NHS (or other locally-funded) flu jab* for customers who meet the eligibility criteria
When you book, we'll ask a few questions to check if you're eligible for a free flu jab
If not, we offer a private service*^ in most stores for those aged 16+ and in selected stores for children aged 11 to 15^‡

*Subject to availability. Eligibility criteria apply

^Injectable vaccine, £19.95 (or £24.95 in Jersey)

^‡Some areas provide a free flu vaccination programme in schools, which may include some secondary year groups

Step one

Answer a few questions

To help us check which flu jab service is right for you**

Step two

Book an appointment

Free for the NHS flu jab or £19.95^ for our private service

Step three

Attend your appointment

Have your flu jab after a consultation in store

How long will my appointment take?

Your appointment will take around 10 minutes.

**Some bookings for the private service include a short online consultation, which is reviewed by a prescribing clinician
^Injectable vaccine, £19.95 (or £24.95 in Jersey)

Why should I get the flu jab every year?

The best way to help protect yourself and others from flu is to have the flu jab every year. Over time, protection gradually decreases and flu strains can change, which means a previous flu jab may not protect you from this year's strains.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

Whilst no vaccine is 100% effective, having a flu jab will help protect you from catching flu and passing it on to others. After your jab, it usually takes around two weeks to be protected.

What happens at the appointment?

The vaccination will be given in the upper arm. There may be some side effects, but these are usually mild and short-lived. The most common side effects include:

Redness, soreness or bruising at the injection site
A high temperature, sweating, shivering or feeling unwell
Headaches, fatigue or dizziness
Aching muscles or joints

The free NHS flu jab at Boots

The eligible groups for a free flu jab vary in each country and may be updated during the winter flu season.

Eligible groups

England, Wales and Isle of Man
Most of our pharmacies can provide the free NHS flu jab* to those aged 65 and over^† as well as those aged 18+ who are carers, are pregnant, or in a clinical risk group (e.g. diabetes, a heart condition or asthma treated with a preventer inhaler). This is not a complete list, click here for more details.

Scotland
Some of our pharmacies in Scotland may be able to provide the free NHS flu jab* to certain eligible groups. Please check local guidance or book our private service.

Northern Ireland
Some of our pharmacies in Northern Ireland may be able to provide the free health service funded flu jab* to certain eligible groups. Please check local guidance or book our private service.

Channel Islands
All our pharmacies in Jersey offer the free States-funded flu jab* to eligible customers. Our pharmacies in Guernsey offer the private service only.

Private Winter Flu Jab Service

If you aren't eligible for the free NHS (or other locally-funded) flu vaccination, you may want to consider our private Winter Flu Jab Service*^.

Our private service costs £19.95^

Collect points for every £1 you spend with Boots Advantage Card

*Subject to availability. Eligibility criteria apply

^†Including those who will turn 65 by 31^st March 2024

^Injectable vaccine, £19.95 (or £24.95 in Jersey)

Before you book

Make sure you've read all the information on this page
If you're accessing our private service, please see our Patient Guide
If you're completing an online consultation for our private service, you can find our terms and conditions here

If you have any more questions, please see our FAQs.

Patient Survey

See the results of our latest patient survey here.

Boots UK Limited

CQC overall rating

Good
See the report

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) regulates Boots UK Limited to provide care for patients in Northern Ireland. See our latest inspection report here.

How we use your personal data

To enable us to give you the best and most appropriate care and advice, we collect your personal data such as name, address and date of birth, we also collect your more sensitive personal data regarding your health for the purposes of ensuring the service we provide is appropriate for you.

We may also process your personal data for carefully considered and specific purposes which are in our interest and enable us to enhance the services we provide, but which we believe also benefit our customers. Your personal data will be stored for as long as necessary unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

We may share your personal information across Boots services such as Boots Pharmacy and with other companies that provide services on our behalf but we assure you that Boots will never sell your personal data. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and keeping your personal data safe and secure is our top priority.

For more information about who we may share your data with, how Boots process your data and how to amend or remove your data please see our privacy policy or contact Boots.CustomerCare_Team@boots.co.uk

Help protect yourself from pneumonia

Pneumonia is a serious chest infection that's most common in autumn and winter. If you're 18 or over, you may be interested in our Pneumonia Vaccination Service^^.

^^Offered in most Boots pharmacies, subject to availability. Eligibility criteria and charges apply.
Please note this is not an NHS service