The over-80s finally get the RSV vaccine they were denied last winter. Here’s everything you’re entitled to this year, when you can have it and the gaps that remain.
As we hit September, winter viruses are beginning to circulate, so now is the right time to get vaccinated. There are some changes to who’s eligible for particular vaccines this winter, though, so it’s worth knowing what exactly you’re entitled to.
“As well as the seasonal vaccines for Covid and flu, you should make sure you are up to date with all the vaccines you are eligible for,” says Dr Julie Yates, deputy director for immunisation programmes at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
“This includes RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), shingles and the pneumococcal vaccine.”
From 1 April 2026, eligibility for the NHS respiratory syncytial virus vaccine was extended to everyone aged 80 and over, with no upper age limit. All residents in care homes for older adults also became eligible regardless of their age. The change was announced on 2 February 2026, after the government accepted advice issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) the previous July.
It also means that anyone aged 75 or over who has never had a dose can now be offered one. Previously, eligibility ran out on your 80th birthday, which produced the peculiar situation of a vaccine being withdrawn from people at precisely the point their risk was highest.
RSV is a common respiratory infection that can lead to pneumonia and other serious complications in older adults.
From 1 September 2026, the RSV programme expanded again. It now also covers adults aged 65 to 74 who are immunosuppressed, or who have chronic respiratory disease. That second group excludes people whose asthma is well controlled.
The JCVI recommended the extension after UKHSA analysis found that people in these groups were being admitted to hospital with RSV at rates matching or exceeding those in the over-75s. The conditions covered are immunosuppression and chronic respiratory disease, which here means poorly controlled asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
If you think you are in one of those groups, don’t wait for an invitation. The new cohorts are being added to GP systems in stages, and the clinical definitions are more precise than the plain-English versions suggest, so a quick call to your surgery is worth it.
Flu and Covid vaccinations are being offered from September, a month earlier than for the over-65s in England. The bigger difference is how you get one. NHS Scotland will contact you by letter, email or text, and you are specifically asked not to ring your GP practice. Appointments are often at a local vaccination centre rather than the surgery. Once you have been invited, you can book through the NHS Scotland online service. The RSV extension to 65 to 74-year-olds in clinical risk groups runs from September 2026 to June 2027.
The over-80s and care home residents became eligible for the RSV vaccine on 13 April 2026, a fortnight after England. The further extension to 65 to 74-year-olds who are immunosuppressed or have chronic respiratory disease began on 1 September 2026, the same date as England.
Care home residents were first, becoming eligible for RSV in February 2026, with all over-80s following from 1 April. There is no upper age limit. Your GP practice will invite you, and the RSV jab can be given at the same appointment as the Covid vaccine.
Wherever you live, if you think you have become eligible under one of this year’s changes and have not heard anything, it is worth asking. Except in Scotland, where you should wait to be contacted.
The booking system opened earlier than ever this year. It has been live since 17 August 2026, and vaccinations began on 1 September for the first group, which is children and pregnant women.
If you are 65 or over, your jab window starts from 1 October. The same date applies to adults in a clinical risk group, care home residents, carers, people in close contact with someone immunocompromised, and frontline healthcare workers.
You can book now for an appointment from that date.
“Booking early means you’ll be vaccinated in good time, before these viruses start circulating widely, giving you the best possible protection through the autumn and winter months. I strongly encourage everyone eligible to take up the offer and get vaccinated,’ says Dr Yates.
The vaccine takes around two weeks to become fully effective, so there is little to be gained by leaving it.
Last winter nearly 19 million people in England had a flu jab, and NHS England estimates that around 104,000 hospital admissions were avoided as a result.
Last season also started unusually early. Influenza positivity climbed above 5% from the week commencing 20 October 2025, and GP consultations for flu-like illness peaked twice, in early December and again in early January. The dominant strain was A(H3N2), which tends to hit older people hardest.
“The flu viruses can change from one winter to the next,” explains Dr Yates.
“Flu vaccines are updated for each winter to give protection against the strains of flu that are most likely to be circulating. For this reason, we strongly recommend that even if you were vaccinated last year, you should be vaccinated again this year.
“Also, protection from flu vaccination goes down with time, so even if some of the strains are the same you should have a flu vaccine again each flu season. The vaccine should provide protection throughout the current flu season.”
Nothing has changed here. On 23 March 2026 the government confirmed that the autumn 2026 cohorts are adults aged 75 and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and anyone aged six months or over who is immunosuppressed.
That is the same eligibility that applied in spring 2025, autumn 2025 and spring 2026. If you are 68 and healthy, you are not eligible on the NHS, and you have not been for some time.
“As there are now much higher levels of immunity against Covid in the population (due to both the vaccination programme and many people having had a natural infection), Covid is now a relatively mild disease for most, though some more vulnerable people may still become seriously ill and hospitalised due to the illness,” explains Dr Yates.
The JCVI advised moving to a more targeted approach for the autumn 2025 programme. Eligibility is now focused on offering the vaccine to those who are immunosuppressed and older people who are at the greatest risk.
Research published last year caused excitement as an association was found between having the shingles jab and a 20% reduced risk of dementia over seven years.
“The shingles vaccine is offered as part of an all-year-round programme,” says Dr Yates. “All older adults become eligible when they turn age 65 or 70.”
This one runs all year rather than seasonally, and the entry point depends on when you turned 65.
The vaccine is given as two doses, usually six to twelve months apart for most people. It is worth chasing rather than waiting for an invitation, as uptake among newly eligible 65-year-olds has been low.
Pneumococcal vaccine protects against infections, including pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis caused by a specific type of streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria.
“From age 65 adults are eligible for a single dose of pneumococcal vaccine,” explains Dr Yates. “People with health conditions that put them at higher risk of more severe pneumococcal disease may be offered the vaccine at an earlier age.”
Pneumococcal (PPV) vaccination rates have remained stable in recent years with coverage reaching around 85%.
Speak to your GP or practice nurse, or alternatively your local pharmacist, to book a vaccination appointment.
The NHS National Booking System opened on 1 September for all eligible individuals to book their winter flu and Covid vaccination, with appointments starting from Wednesday 1 October. You can also call 119 free of charge to book over the phone if you cannot book online.
The flu vaccine is free for all eligible individuals.
For RSV, shingles and pneumococcal, go through your GP practice, as these are not on the national booking system.
If you think you qualify under one of this year's expanded criteria and have not heard anything, ring the surgery. The new cohorts are being added to practice systems in stages and invitations are not always prompt.
Private flu and Covid vaccinations are available from high street pharmacies and travel clinics for those outside the NHS cohorts.
High street chemist Boots charges £21.95 for private flu vaccinations and £98.95 for Covid vaccinations, while Tesco offers a flu vaccination for £19 and Covid vaccinations for £90 so it’s worth shopping around.
“Yes – a flu vaccine can be given at the same time as all routine vaccines,” says Dr Yates. “However, RSV isn’t normally arranged to be given at the same appointment as your flu vaccine.
“In certain clinical circumstances, your doctor or nurse can safely offer them at the same time.”
The RSV vaccine is delivered year-round and can be given at the same time as the Covid vaccine, shingles or pneumococcal vaccine, but it is recommended to be given separately to the flu vaccine for greater effectiveness.
Health insurance for people over 50 that provides a quicker route to diagnosis and planned medical treatment in a private facility.
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