Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of offering free flu vaccines to (a) charity and (b) voluntary workers on the health of vulnerable people.

Eligibility for a free National Health Service flu vaccine is guided, each year, by advice and recommendations from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and is kept under regular review. The aim of the flu vaccination programme is to protect those most at risk from serious illness and hospitalisation.

Those eligible to receive a free flu vaccine on the NHS this autumn are:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
• children with certain long-term health conditions (aged 6 months to less than 18 years)
• primary school aged children (from reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to under 18 years
• everyone aged 65 years and over
• individuals aged 18 to under 65 with certain long-term health conditions
• care home residents
• carers in receipt of carer's allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• those living with people who are immunocompromised
• frontline health and social care workers

The NHS website contains further information on eligibility, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/

Anyone who feels unsure about their eligibility (including those who work with vulnerable people in a voluntary capacity) can consult their general practitioner, practice nurse, or pharmacist. Pregnant women can also consult their midwife.