Update - NHS Shetland Autumn / Winter Vaccination Programme 2025

Getting the vaccine means you can have milder symptoms if you catch fly, a faster recovery time, reduced risk of serious illness, less likely to miss work due to illness and less likely to spread flu to friends, family and co-workers.
Getting the flu vaccine means -

The winter vaccination programme is well underway at NHS Shetland.

The programme is complex, involving offering vaccines to nearly half the population of Shetland in three months. Vaccination of specific groups within our population is one of the most effective ways of protecting the most vulnerable people in Shetland. There have again been changes to the groups recommended to have the flu and covid vaccines so please check if you are eligible this year or not.  

Emails and texts inviting people to make an appointment have been sent for those registered with the Lerwick, Brae, Levenwick, Scalloway, Bixter and Walls health centres. If you are registered at one of these practices and haven’t been contacted by the first week in October, please let the vaccination team know. 

Please follow the instructions on your letter, email or text to make an appointment at the Grantfield Vaccination Centre using the national portal or the national contact centre. We are aware that some people have had difficulties booking their appointment and we have tried to make the process clearer.   

For those registered with the Hillswick, Unst, Yell and Whalsay practices, please look out for local information and invites to clinics at your own practice.      

As in previous years, school pupils will be offered the flu vaccination at school and appointments for pre-school children will be at their local GP practice. We are also piloting vaccination clinics in three pre-school nurseries so you may be offered that as an option. 

As well as those groups above, unpaid carers, people who live with someone who is immunosuppressed, poultry workers and bird handlers, people who are experiencing homelessness or substance use, all NHS staff and frontline social care staff are also recommend to be vaccinated against flu. Please look out for further information on how to access an appointment. 

As in previous years, people who are housebound will be offered a vaccination at home and there will be local clinics in Bressay, Foula, Fetlar, Skerries and Fair Isle for the residents of those islands; you will be contacted locally about these clinics. For these groups, if you receive a letter inviting you to an appointment at the Vaccination Centre, this has probably been automatically generated in error. Please ignore and / or contact the Vaccination Team for advice. 

Appointments at the Grantfield Vaccination Centre are reasonably booked up until the start of November but if you are looking for an earlier appointment please keep checking as more slots are appearing if others have to change theirs.  

If you receive an appointment for one venue but it would be easier for you to attend another location, please contact the Vaccination Team. 

All this information is on the NHS Shetland Website, Vaccinations – NHS Shetland  and we will keep updating there as the programme progresses. 

Further notes:

Monday, 29th September 2025