Flu Season Is Here - Kent's Vaccine Uptake Rose Last Year, Except Among the Over-65s

Flu season has arrived: the UK Health Security Agency's latest surveillance report shows flu activity increasing and emergency department attendances for flu-like illness above what's normally expected for this time of year. Winter vaccine booking is now open - but Kent's own data shows one group is being vaccinated less than it used to be, right when flu activity is picking up.

A report to Kent County Council's Scrutiny Committee in May 2026 found flu vaccine uptake rose across most groups in the 2025/26 season compared with the year before: up from 52% to 57% in primary school children, from 45% to 51.5% in secondary school children, and from 36% to 38% in pregnant women. The exception was the group flu hits hardest - people aged 65 and over - where uptake fell slightly, down 0.6 percentage points.Uptake also varied sharply within the under-65 "clinical risk group" - people with conditions like heart or kidney disease - ranging from 75.8% among patients with kidney disease to just 27.9% among those with a BMI of 40 or more and no other risk factors. The report also found large and persistent disparities in uptake between different ethnic groups. On a brighter note, vaccination among frontline hospital staff rose across every Kent trust, with Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust - which runs Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals - up 7.5 percentage points on the year before.

NHS Kent and Medway's national booking system opened on 1 October for this winter's flu and Covid-19 vaccines. Flu vaccination is available to: care home residents, adults aged 65 and over, pregnant women, all children aged two or three on 31 August 2026, primary school children (Reception to Year 6), secondary school children (Year 7 to 11), carers of an older or disabled person, people who are immunosuppressed, frontline health and social care workers, and people under 65 with certain medical conditions. Appointments can be booked online, via the NHS App, by calling 119 free of charge, or through a GP practice. Dr James MacDonald, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at NHS Kent and Medway, said: "With winter fast approaching, it's important to protect yourself and your loved ones by getting your vaccinations. The vaccines are extremely safe and offer the best protection against serious illness."

More information is available at GetVaccinatedNow.co.uk. Sources: Kent County Council Scrutiny Committee, NHS Kent and Medway, UK Health Security Agency