Free Flu Vaccinations for Sussex Staff
The University is committed to supporting the wellbeing of its staff. At this time of year, many staff will be contacted by their NHS service provider to get their free seasonal flu vaccinations. The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to adults who:
- are 65 and over
- have certain health conditions
- are pregnant
- are in long-stay residential care
- receive a carer's allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick
- live with someone who is more likely to get a severe infection due to a weakened immune system.
More infrormation about who is eligible can be found on the NHS website.
There will be some staff who are not eligible for a free flu vaccination. In these circumstances the University will help staff receive a vaccination free of charge.
How to receive your free flu vaccination
Book your flu vaccination on LearnUpon with Heales. This should be the primary option for booking your flu vaccine, even if you have been sent a reminder from the University pharmacy. You will not be required to make any payment in advance with Heales. See our Guidance on how to book your appointment on LearnUpon. Please note that you will need to scroll to the far right hand side of the screen to be able to click on the registration button.
Please ensure you read all of the information below before booking your flu jab:
- You must bring a signed copy of the Health Evaluation Questionnaire with you to your appointment: Flu Prevaccine Health Questionnaire [PDF 80.99KB]
- Please read the Flu Vaccine Patient Information before your appointment:Flu Vaccine Patient Information [PDF 71.80KB]
- Please arrive just before your appointment time. Please do not arrive too early or late.
- If you are unable to make your appointment, you can send someone in your place but please email od@sussex.ac.uk as soon as possible so we can let the nurse know. Missing an appointment will mean another member of staff might have missed out.
- If you need to cancel your appointment, please do so as soon as possible by cancelling your registering on your LearnUpon account.
Unfortunately, due to the number of appointments available, we are unable to manually add people to the waitlist. If your preferred date is fully booked, we recommend checking back on the morning of that day for any potential last-minute cancellations.
Participating staff should note that these vaccinations are provided by Heales and not by the University itself. If you are eligible for a free flu vaccination and can book through that option, we encourage you to do so.
Vaccines have been ordered through Heales for university staff, and it’s important these are used as they cannot be stored for future years.
If you are unable to secure an appointment with Heales, you can book your flu jab from other participating pharmacies, including the University pharmacy, which is based on campus. This would result in a charge. While you can claim this expense back, please only do this once all the Heales vaccines have been booked. We also ask that you source the most cost-effective option as prices can vary significantly.
NHS Free Vaccine: If you are eligible for a free flu vaccine through your GP or NHS, we encourage you to use this service.