Chamber and committees

As of 5 January, over 2.89 million winter vaccines have been delivered, with more than 1.27 million adult flu and over 523,000 child flu vaccines administered, as well as over 1.09 million Covid-19 vaccines administered.

Working with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Health Boards, those eligible for vaccination have been encouraged through a number of mechanisms this winter, such as:

• Appointment or prompts to book via letters, emails or texts for all eligible citizens, depending on their communication preference, with the flexibility to book an appointment at any clinic in Scotland.
• Clear, updated information on NHS Inform, with particular prominence given to flu.
• Updated flu and Covid information leaflets for eligible citizens, with new content based on insight work and feedback on how previous leaflets could be improved.
• Dedicated updated resources for Health and Social Care Workers, based on insight work and feedback on how they can be improved.
• Public Health Scotland (PHS) has developed a range of tailored resources and promotional materials that have been disseminated through trusted partners, including local NHS Boards and the third sector, that can be used to inform and encourage uptake for all those eligible.

With cases of flu increasing over the Christmas holidays, the Scottish Government, PHS and territorial Health Boards put out a range of communications highlighting the seriousness of flu and advertising how eligible people could access vaccination immediately and easily, notably through drop-in clinics. Boards increased clinic capacity at this time and as a result, between 15 December and 5 January, delivered over 68,000 flu vaccinations, compared to 39,000 over the same three week festive window in 2023-24. Public Health Scotland surveillance information is available here.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with PHS and territorial Boards on strategies to bring more people forward for their flu vaccine in the coming weeks. Since 26 December, the First Minister has chaired a number of meetings with senior leaders from across the health system in Scotland to support a cohesive and focussed effort to improve vaccine uptake and ensure the system as a whole is able to manage the increased demand typically seen in winter.

The winter Covid vaccine programme closes on 31 January, and PHS are planning additional communications to encourage eligible people to take up their vaccination before the programme ends. Flu vaccination will remain available until 31 March, and continued efforts will be made to encourage those eligible to come forward for their vaccination.