Vaccinations – Immunisations

The Cambridge Practice fully supports national vaccination programmes to protect our patients and the wider community.

 

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and immunisation (JVCI) consider extensive research and prior to recommending vaccinations for a national programme. The JVCI regularly reviews the vaccination programmes to ensure they are the most effective for those at risk of these infections.

Vaccinating yourself or your children is a safe and effective way of protecting yourself and the community and prevents millions of death worldwide each year. In some cases vaccinations of seen a significant reducing in the case of previously common infections i.e. smallpox, tetanus and polio these are now rarely seen in the UK.

 

Babies and Children

Some national programmes start as early as at birth to provide the best possible protection to the infant:

  • BCG – for those infants born to parents or have grandparents born in countries with high prevalence of Tuberculosis (TB)
  • Hepatitis B – for those infants born to Hepatitis B +ve mothers

Once an infant reaches 8 weeks of age, they commence their primary course of vaccinations:

  • 6in1 – one injection with Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, Pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenza B (Hib) and Hepatitis B. Administered at 8, 12 and 16weeks
  • Meningitis B – offers protection against b strains of meningitis infections. Administered at 8 and 12 weeks
  • Rotavirus – oral solution to protect from a common gastrointestinal infection. Administered at 8 and 12 weeks
  • Pneumococcal – offers protection from pneumococcal infections often associated with pneumonias and chest infections. Administered at 16 weeks

Little ones then return at or shortly after their first birthday:

  • Meningitis B – booster dose
  • Pneumococcal – booster
  • MMRV – Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella (chickpox).

In 2025 a significant change to the routine programme of vaccinations came into effect including the introduction of a ‘new’ 18-month-old appointment (for those children born on or after 1st July 2024) who will receive:

  • 6in1 – booster dose
  • MMRV – 2nd dose to give protection

The autumn/winter after their second birthday, children routinely become eligible for:

  • Seasonal Influenza – commonly administered as a nasal spray unless contraindicated but this can be discussed prior to or at your appointment. Some children may be eligible prior to this stage of childhood if they are identified to be in clinically at-risk groups. This can be provided at the GP practice until children start school, when our school nursing/immunisation colleagues will take over administration

All children will be invited to return at 3 years and 4 months old for ‘pre-school boosters’:

  • 4in1– one injection with Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio, Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • MMRV – replacing the MMR vaccine to give the added protection of the varicella vaccine

Once in senior school, young adults become eligible for:

  • HPV – Human Papillomas Virus, usually at around 13 years old
  • Meningitis ACWY – Four strains of meningitis infections more common in this age group. At approximately 14 years old alongside the 3in1
  • 3in1 – Tetanus, Diptheria and Polio booster dose

 

Vaccinations in pregnancy

Pregnancy is another important milestone in life where your immune system and that of your unborn child requires protection.

  • Seasonal Influenza – available at any stage of pregnancy
  • Pertussis (whooping cough) – combined with tetanus and diptheria. From 16 weeks of pregnancy.
  • RSV – Respiratory Syncytial Virus, common infection that can affect infancy early in life resulting in the likes of bronchiolitis and pneumonias. From 28 weeks of pregnancy

 

Selective programmes of vaccinations

Selective programmes of vaccinations consider those that are at an increased risk of infection and are therefore offered vaccination to reduce that risk.

  • Pneumococcal – Pneumococcal infections are often but not exclusively associated with chest infections and pneumonias; hence the vaccine is commonly called the ‘pneumonia vaccine’. Patients are eligible for the pneumococcal vaccination if they are in clinical ‘at risk groups’. Clinical ‘at risk groups’ are patients considered to be at an increased risk of infection for example those with long term conditions such as diabetes, lung, heart and kidney conditions along with immunosuppression. Should you fall in to an ‘at risk group’ you will be invited by the practice or please make an appointment to discuss this. A select group of patients may require 5 yearly boosting doses of Pneumococcal vaccinations – generally those with severe kidney disease and those whom either have had their spleen removed and the spleen doesn’t function effectively.

 

Adult vaccination programmes

  • Seasonal Influenza – Adults under the age 65 years old are eligible for the season influenza vaccination should they meet the criteria for in ‘at risk groups’. Should you fall in to an ‘at risk group’ you will be invited by the practice each autumn to attend for your vaccination. Should you feel you are in an ‘at risk group’ and are not invited please contact the practice to discuss.
    Adults over 65 years old or those that have their 65th birthday during the current flu season (end of March) will also be eligible for the seasonal influenza vaccination
  • Pneumococcal – Adults over the age of 65 years are also eligible for the pneumococcal vaccinations to reduce the risk associated with increasing age. Once you reach your 65th birthday, please book an appointment of your pneumococcal vaccination.
  • Shingles – The current shingles vaccination programme has two arms running concurrently – we have a group turning 65 or 70 years of age and there is an pathway to protect those over 18 years of age in severely weakened immune systems examples include some people with blood cancer (such as leukaemia or lymphoma), with HIV or AIDS, people who’ve recently had a stem cell transplant, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or an organ transplant and people taking certain medicines that severely weakened immune system this list is not exhaustive. Should you feel you at considered to have a severely weakened immune system please enquiry with the practice team. The practice is working to invite all those eligible patients in for vaccination.
    Both pathways of the Shingles vaccination programme require 2 doses of the vaccine to maximise protection, depending on which pathway will determine the recommended timing of the second dose. The clinician giving your first dose will ensure you have that information.
  • RSV – Respiratory Syncytial Virus, another common respiratory vaccination associated with chest infections and pneumonias. Currently those 75-80 years of age are eligible for this vaccination, in addition to the maternal programme to protect our young infants

Travel

See our Travel information page here

See also:

Flu Clinics and Flu Jabs

Fees for Non NHS Vaccinations

 

Useful Resources

Routine childhood immunisations schedule from January 2026 (Link opens in a new browser tab)

Vaccinations - NHS (Link opens in a new browser tab)

Vaccine Knowledge Project (Link opens in a new browser tab)