Child Immunisations
One of the most important things that a parent can do for their child is to make sure that they have all their routine childhood vaccinations. It’s the most effective way of keeping them protected against infectious diseases.
Ideally, children should have their jabs at the right age to protect them as early as possible and minimise the risk of infection.
Vaccination Checklist
Here’s a checklist of the vaccines that are routinely offered to everyone in the UK, free on the NHS, and the age at which they should ideally be given.
For information on Baby vaccines please see our Baby Clinic page.
Around 12-13 years:
- Cervical cancer (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer (girls only): three jabs given within six months
Around 14 years:
- Diphtheria, tetanus and polio booster (Td/IPV), given as a single jab
- MenACWY given as a single jab
Around 18-25 years:
- All 1st year university students will be offered a single Meningitis C vaccination.
Pregnant Women:
- All pregnant women are offered a Diptheria, tetanus, pertussis and polio booster between 16 and 32 weeks gestation.
65 and over:
- Flu (every year) Pneumococcal
Aged 70 & 78 year olds only
- Will be offered a shingles vaccination
Vaccines for Risk Groups
People who fall into certain risk groups may be offered extra vaccines. These include vaccinations against diseases such as hepatitis B, tuberculosis (TB), seasonal flu and chickenpox. See the NHS Choices pages on vaccines available to find out whether you should have one.