UK guidance recommends hepatitis B vaccination for healthcare students and trainees who may have contact with patients’ blood, and nursing, medical and dental courses ask for it before or early in your clinical placements. Your university’s occupational health service is the first place to go: the BMA says medical schools are legally responsible for providing occupational health to their students. If you need to start sooner, or your course has asked you to arrange it yourself, you can book your hepatitis B vaccination for work in Epsom with us.
Why it’s on your placement checklist
Hepatitis B spreads through blood and body fluids. UK guidance recommends the vaccine for all healthcare workers, including students and trainees, who may have direct contact with patients’ blood, blood-stained body fluids or tissues, including anyone at risk of a needlestick injury or of being bitten.
What universities near Epsom say
| University | What its pages say |
|---|---|
| City St George’s, University of London (Tooting) | Occupational health arranges programme-related immunisations such as hepatitis B. For international students: the course can take up to six months, so start as soon as possible. |
| King’s College London | Its occupational health provider checks your immunity, and recommends or offers vaccinations if you can’t show evidence. |
| University of Roehampton | An occupational health check is required for all nursing students, with the cost covered by the university. Nursing students can’t decline immunisations that are required. |
| University of Surrey (Guildford) | You need occupational health clearance before any placement. |
| Kingston University | Some students need an occupational health clearance form; you’re sent the details separately. |
| Brunel University London | At least the first hepatitis B dose before enrolment in September; medical students at least two doses before starting. |
Who pays
On a course
Ask your university’s occupational health team first. If it provides the vaccine, use it. Come to us if you can’t get an appointment before your start date, or you’ve been asked to arrange the course yourself.
Already working in healthcare
If you also work in healthcare, for example as a healthcare assistant or bank worker, HSE says employers must pay for protective measures such as immunisation. If you pay us yourself, keep the receipt for each dose to claim it back.
Your GP
The BMA’s view is that GP practices have no obligation to provide occupational health services. That responsibility sits with employers, and for students, with their medical school.
Working back from your start date
| Time until your course or placement | Schedule that fits | Price at Miles |
|---|---|---|
| 3 weeks or more | Very rapid: days 0, 7 and 21, then 12 months (adults) | £220 |
| About 2 months or more | Accelerated: 0, 1 and 2 months, then 12 months | £220 |
| 6 months or more | Standard: 0, 1 and 6 months | £165 |
Starting soon? Count back from your placement date:
Healthcare courses often also ask for a blood test one to two months after your last dose, to show you’ve responded. Your occupational health team will tell you what they need. Our guide to hepatitis B vaccine schedules explains each one in more detail.
Mature students
Around 90% of adults respond well to the vaccine. A weaker response is more likely over 40, and with obesity or smoking, which is one reason healthcare courses check your response afterwards. Start early if you can.
What to bring
- Any letter or form from your university or occupational health team saying what they need.
- Records of any hepatitis B doses you’ve had before, including from another country. A course is resumed, never restarted.
- Your start or placement date, so we can plan every dose around it.
Students around Epsom, Kingston and Sutton
We’re at 94 Chessington Road, Ewell, Epsom, KT19 9UR, with a bus stop outside and Ewell West station nearby, which has step-free access to every platform. If you’re living in Epsom, Kingston, Surbiton or Sutton while you study, call us on 020 8393 1000 and we’ll plan your doses around your start date.
Questions from students
Do I need the hepatitis B vaccine before my nursing placement?
UK guidance recommends it for healthcare students who may have contact with patients’ blood, and courses build it into occupational health clearance. Check exactly what yours needs and by when.
Can I start before my course begins?
Yes. Some universities ask for the first dose before you enrol. Starting early gives you time to finish the course and any blood test before placements.
How long does the whole course take?
From three weeks for the first three doses on the very rapid schedule, to six months on the standard one. The faster schedules have a final dose at 12 months.
I had some doses years ago. Do I start again?
No. UK guidance says an interrupted course is resumed, not repeated. Bring your records.
Will I need a booster during my career?
Healthcare workers and students who respond to the course have no routine booster. Our guide to hepatitis B boosters explains when one is offered.
I’ve had a needlestick injury on placement. What do I do?
Wash the area, then get advice the same day from your occupational health service, A&E or NHS 111. UK guidance says vaccination should ideally start within 24 hours of an exposure.
Sources
- UKHSA: the Green Book, chapter 18, hepatitis B, checked 2 October 2026
- BMA: hepatitis B vaccinations (updated 28 June 2024), checked 2 October 2026
- HSE: immunisation against bloodborne viruses, checked 2 October 2026
- City St George’s: your health, checked 2 October 2026
- King’s College London: next steps for offer holders, checked 2 October 2026
- University of Roehampton: nursing FAQs, checked 2 October 2026
- University of Surrey: occupational health clearance for placements, checked 2 October 2026
- Brunel University London: immunisation checking, checked 2 October 2026
