Dr Tim Dalton, Local GP and Joint Chair of the Healthier Wigan Partnership

I’m not sure if we have seen the last of the warm days, but it is certainly beginning to feel autumnal. The kids are back at school, the temperature has dropped and it feels like the drizzle season has set in. Colds, sniffles and all sorts of bugs are doing the rounds.

As a GP, this means one thing: it’s time for flu vaccine season.

Whilst most eligible adults will only be able to get their vaccines from October, planning for giving tens of thousands of vaccines across Wigan borough has been ongoing since the summer for both GP practices and pharmacies. It takes a huge number of people and lots of logistics to run the hundreds of flu clinics needed.

I know I say this every year, but the flu is not just a bad cold. If you’ve got the flu proper, you aren’t dragging yourself into work or school to just make it through the day. You are stuck in bed or on the sofa with aching joints, a banging head, coughing fits, running noses, and any number of the many symptoms the flu can bring. You might just about to be able to binge on your favourite series, but you’re definitely not enjoying it as much as normal. For some, very vulnerable people, the flu can be deadly.

This is why the NHS takes the flu vaccination programme so seriously and puts lots of money and time into getting as many eligible people vaccinated as possible.

So, who is eligible? The criteria hasn’t really been updated this year, so if you were eligible last year, you will be eligible this year.

2-3 year old children are eligible for the nasal spray rather than the injection. They will need to get vaccinated at a GP practice or pharmacy and the invites to the parents should be going out soon (if you haven’t already had it).

School age children from reception up to year 11 will get the vaccination through school, so parents will just need to complete the consent form that will come from the school.

Adults can get the vaccine for free if they are:

aged 65 or over (including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2026)
have certain long-term health conditions
are pregnant
live in a care home
are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer's allowance
live with someone who has a weakened immune system
are a frontline health and social care worker

You can book your vaccine through your GP practice, a local pharmacy, through your maternity service if you are pregnant, your care home, or through your employer.

The easiest way for most people if they don’t get a direct invite from their GP practice is to book online either through flu booking site, or the NHS app. Or you can ring 119 if you can’t do it online.

If you aren’t eligible for a free vaccine on the NHS, you can pay to get your flu vaccine at some pharmacies. Prices do vary, so it can be worth shopping around.

So, whilst in the midst of all the chaos of the new school year and change of seasons, keep an eye out for your flu vaccine invite and please, spare a moment to book it when it arrives and help us to keep you well.