Why should I think about having flu and COVID jabs?

If you live with severe mental illness, you can be more vulnerable to flu and COVID. For example, people who live with psychosis are more likely to go to hospital with an infectious disease. This is compared to the general population. 

Anyone who gets COVID-19 can become seriously ill or have long-term effects, known as long COVID. 

If you care for someone who lives with severe mental illness and you get flu or COVID-19, you:

• could pass it on to the person you care for, and
• will be less able to care for them.

Information on the flu jab

Are flu jabs safe and effective? 

• The NHS say the flu jab is safe and effective. 
• It aims to protect you against the most common types of flu.
• There is still a chance you might get flu after getting the jab. But it is likely to be milder and not last as long.
• The vaccine usually takes up to 14 days to work.
• Protection from the flu jab goes down with time.
• The types of flu virus the vaccine protects against are updated each year. 
• It is important to get the flu jab every year.

Where can I get more information about the flu jab?

You can read more information about the flu jab here from the NHS.

Can I get a free flu jab if I live with severe mental illness?

You can get a free flu jab if you:

• are aged 65 or over - including those who will be 65 by 31 March 2025
• are pregnant
• live in a care home
• are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive carer's allowance
• live with someone who has a weakened immune system
• are a frontline health or social care worker
• have certain long-term health conditions

But severe mental illness is not on this list of long-term health conditions. You can find the list here. See:

• ‘Who should have the flu vaccine?’ then,
• ‘Health conditions that mean you're eligible for the flu vaccine.’

If you have one of those health conditions, you can get the flu jab for free.

Can I pay for a flu jab?

If you cannot get a free flu jab, you can pay to have one at a lot of pharmacies. This includes pharmacies at supermarkets. 

You can find out where to get a flu jab by putting ‘Where can I pay to get a flu jab?’ into an internet search engine. 

You can get an idea of how much you must pay at different pharmacies by reading this article.

Can I get a free flu jab if I am a carer?

You can get a free flu jab if you:

• are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or 
• receive carer's allowance

Most people who live with severe mental illness will qualify as having a disability, under the definition in the Equality Act. This definition is the one often used in England. 

How can I book a free flu jab on the NHS?

If you can get for a free flu jab, you can:

• book a flu jab appointment at a pharmacy online, 
• book a flu jab on the NHS App, 
• find a pharmacy that offers the NHS flu jab, or 
• contact your GP surgery to book an appointment.

Information on the COVID-19 jab

Are COVID-19 jabs safe and effective?

The NHS say: 

• COVID-19 jabs in use in the UK have all met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. 
• The safety of the jabs has been extensively reviewed by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
• The MHRA continue to monitor the safety of the jabs.
• Reports of serious side effects are very rare.

Getting the COVID-19 jab can: 

• reduce the risk of getting bad symptoms,
• help you recover more quickly if you get COVID-19,
• reduce the risk of having to go to hospital or dying from COVID-19, and
• protect against different types of the COVID-19 virus.

Where can I get more information about the COVID-19 jab?

You can read more information about the COVID-19 jab from:

• the NHS here, and 
• the government here.  

Can I get a free COVID-19 booster jab if I live with severe mental illness?

COVID-19 booster jabs are usually offered to people in certain clinical risk groups in spring and autumn each year.  

Each spring and autumn, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) decide who the booster will be offered to.

From October 2024 you can get a free COVID-19 booster jab if you live with: 

• schizophrenia,
• bipolar disorder, or 
• any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment.

UKHSA have not said what they mean by ‘any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment.’ 

But the NHS say GPs are encouraged to keep prioritising people with mental illness, applying a flexible approach to defining severe mental illness. 

For information on other groups of people who are being offered the autumn 2024 booster jab, see here.

Can I get a free COVID-19 booster jab if I am a carer of someone with severe mental illness?

From October 2024 you can get a free COVID-19 booster jab if you: 

• receive carer's allowance, or
• are the main or sole carer for someone who lives with: 
  
  • schizophrenia,
  • bipolar disorder, or 
  • any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment.

How can I book a free COVID-19 booster jab on the NHS?

You can book a COVID-19 booster jab in the following ways.

• Online here
• By finding a local walk-in centre here 
• By calling 119, free of charge. You can speak to a translator if you need to. 

Do you have accessibility tools for this information? 

• There is an accessibility function on this webpage called Recite.
• On the desktop site, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner next to ‘Donate.’
• On the mobile site, scroll right and click on the ‘Turn on accessibility’ icon.
• You can watch a short video about Recite here 

Did this help?

We would love to know if this information helped you or if you found any issues with this page. You can email us at feedback@rethink.org

© Rethink Mental Illness 2024

Last updated October 2024
Next update October 2025 (subject to any change)

Version number 3