9/1/2025 4:00:10 PM
Updated Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Vaccination Training
Our Seasonal Influenza Vaccination course has been updated to ensure that it is accurate for the 2025/26 flu season.
2025 to 2026 Flu Programme Summary
Seasonal flu vaccination is a critically important public health intervention to reduce morbidity and mortality in those most at risk including older people, pregnant women and those in clinical risk groups.
Vaccination helps the health and social care system manage winter pressures by helping to reduce demand for GP consultations and likelihood of hospitalisation.
Vaccinating healthcare professionals and care workers also plays an important role in helping to prevent transmission of flu, protecting themselves and those they care for.
The key changes to the flu vaccination programme for the 2025 to 2026 flu season are:change to the inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) from quadrivalent (QIV) to trivalent (TIV) vaccines after not being available for the 2024 to 2025 flu vaccination programme, the recombinant influenza vaccine (IIVr) will again be available for the 2025 to 2026 season and can be offered as a first line vaccine for those aged 18 years and over in a clinical risk group and those aged 65 years and over the adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV) is now licensed from 50 years of age, so can be offered as a first line vaccine to those aged 50 years and over in a clinical risk group and those aged 65 years and over.
Overall flu activity was higher in the 2024 to 2025 season than was seen in the previous 2023 to 2024 flu season, demonstrating that flu is unpredictable and infection can be serious; it is therefore important that all those eligible are offered vaccine as part of the annual flu programme to provide protection against it.
Notice of Scheduled Maintenance
This course will be placed ‘Under Maintenance’ on Wednesday 3 September 2025 and will be unavailable, before being updated on Thursday 4 September 2025.
Retake Guidance
We would advise that staff members involved in the delivery of flu vaccinations retake this course before their recommended retake period.
What does this Flu Vaccination Training Course Cover?
This updated course covers the flu vaccines available for the upcoming season, how to administer vaccines, and contraindications and precautions. It also covers vaccine storage, ordering and uptake.
The History of the Flu Vaccine
1960 – The seasonal flu vaccination programme was introduced in England during the late 1960s and was recommended to directly protect those in clinical risk groups.
2000 – The seasonal flu vaccination programme was extended to include all people over the age of 65.
2010 – In 2010 pregnancy was included as a clinical risk category.
2013 – Phased introduction of an annual childhood flu vaccination programme for all children aged 2 to 16 years old began with vaccines being offered to:
- all children age 2 to 3 years old
- 7 geographical pilots in primary school aged children.
2014 – Phased introduction of the childhood flu vaccination programme continued with vaccines being offered to:
- all children aged 2, 3 and 4 years old
- geographical pilots in primary and secondary school aged children.
2015 – In addition to vaccinating 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds in primary care, the programme began nationally in primary schools in a phased roll-out starting with the youngest school-aged children first.
2016 – 2019 – Phased introduction of childhood flu vaccination programme continued with a year-on-year addition of the next school year.
2020 – The vaccine was offered to all children aged 2 years old to school year 7 and extended to those aged 50 to 64 years old.
2021/2022 – The flu vaccination programme was extended to offer a vaccine to all those aged 50 to 64 years old and to all children from age 2 up to school year 11 (in 2021) and age 2 up to school year 9 (in 2022) because of concerns over co-circulation of flu and COVID-19.
2023, 2024 and 2025 – The flu vaccination programme offers vaccines to clinical risk groups, all people aged 65 years and over, and all children aged 2 to 15 years old (up to school year 11).
Accessing the Updated Course
Current Blue Stream Academy customers can access the updated Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Vaccination Training directly under their existing login, with no additional steps required. Not yet a customer? Now’s the perfect time to explore how our comprehensive eLearning and Management Platform subscriptions can support your organisation with high-quality, compliant training. Get in touch with our team todayto find out more and discover the right subscription package for you.