Tesco stores to give free flu jabs in Milton Keynes

MK's biggest Tesco stores have launched campaign to encourage people to get their flu jab alongside their weekly shop.

The Tesco pharmacies at Kingston and the Bletchley Extra store will be offering free to all those who are eligible under the NHS, or £9 vaccines for those who do not fit the criteria.

All vaccines will be given by qualified pharmacists in a private consultation room and the £9 service is available to all customers aged 12 years and over.

The move is part of a campaign to boost the uptake of flu jabs and help save lives. Tesco Pharmacy, British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Cancer Research UK, through their ‘Helping you to live healthier’ partnership, have joined forces to encourage more people to protect themselves and their families and continue to do their bit for the NHS by getting the flu jab.

You can book your jab here.

Adrian Price, Tesco's superintendent pharmacist said: “We want to make getting your vaccination as easy as doing the weekly shop. We’re doing all we can to make it as convenient as possible for people to get their flu jab to protect themselves and their families. This is the most important flu jab ever for those at risk.”

For people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, the flu can be deadly. The flu jab was associated with a 50% reduction in mortality during flu season for people living with type 2 diabetes, according to research carried out over a seven-year period.

Those who have heart and circulatory diseases can cut the risk of a heart attack by 27% and of dying by 25% 2 if they have the flu vaccine. Data shows that in the winter of 2019/20, there were around 6,600 excess deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK, with flu likely to be a contributing factor.

With longer opening hours than many GP surgeries and high-street pharmacies, Tesco customers can get vaccinated at a time that fits around their schedule, including evenings and weekends.

Maureen Talbot, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation speaking on behalf of the Helping you to live healthier partnership, said: “People with conditions including heart disease, diabetes and many cancers are at increased risk of severe illness if they get the flu. This year, the presence of Covid-19 adds to that risk, so it’s even more important that people get vaccinated."