You can have the flu jab free on the NHS if you receive carer’s allowance, or if you’re the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill. Carers’ appointments open on 1 October 2026. At Miles Pharmacy in Ewell, booking takes about a minute. You can check the other groups and book on our flu jab page.
Who counts as a carer
Carer’s allowance
If you receive carer’s allowance, you qualify.
The main carer
If you’re the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill, you qualify, with or without carer’s allowance.
Living with someone immunosuppressed
Close contacts of someone whose immune system is weakened qualify too, because the person you live with may not be protected by their own vaccine.
Paid care work
Frontline social care workers whose employer has no occupational health scheme qualify: care homes, domiciliary care, hospices, and personal assistants paid through direct payments. If your employer runs a scheme, that’s your route.
Why the NHS covers carers
Protecting the person you look after
The people carers look after are often among those most likely to be seriously ill with flu, and some respond less well to their own vaccine. Your jab helps keep flu away from them.
If you fall ill
Flu usually lasts about a week, and the care you give stops with you. That’s the week the person you look after needs it most.
Book them too
If the person you care for is 65 or over, or has a long-term condition, they qualify in their own right. You can book for them at the same time, in their name.
How to book as a carer
When
Carers’ appointments open on 1 October 2026 and run to 31 March 2027. Most people are best done by 30 November 2026, before flu is circulating.
How
Book online, or call us on 020 8393 1000. Tell us you’re a carer when you book.
At the appointment
The pharmacist asks a few questions and confirms you qualify before the vaccination. The whole appointment takes a few minutes.
Not on the list?
If you help out but aren’t the main carer, you may not qualify for the NHS jab. We vaccinate privately for £26.
Questions from carers
Do carers get a free flu jab?
Yes, if you receive carer’s allowance, or you’re the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill.
Do I need to receive carer’s allowance?
No. The main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if you fall ill qualifies without it.
I’m a paid care worker. Do I qualify?
If your employer has no occupational health scheme, yes: that includes care homes, domiciliary care, hospices, and personal assistants paid through direct payments. If your employer runs a scheme, that’s your route.
Can I book for the person I care for as well?
Yes. Book in their name and bring their details. If they’re 65 or over, or have a long-term condition, they qualify in their own right.
When can carers book?
Carers’ appointments open on 1 October 2026 and run to 31 March 2027.
Sources
- National flu immunisation programme 2026 to 2027 letter, checked 17 September 2026
- NHS: flu vaccine, checked 17 September 2026
