Two Doses
The modern shingles vaccine is given as two doses, typically two to six months apart, and up to twelve months apart in some circumstances.
Private Shingles Vaccination
Shingles vaccination at £250 per dose, available before NHS eligibility age.
- No Eligibility Criteria
- Same-Day Appointments
- Highly Effective
- GMC-registered
- Prevents Nerve Pain Too
- Multiple Vaccines
Book a shingles vaccination appointment Without the Wait
Shingles Vaccination Without Waiting for the Age Band
Shingles is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, which stays dormant in your nerves for life after childhood infection. It causes a painful, blistering rash in a band on one side of the body, and it is genuinely unpleasant for two to four weeks.
The reason to prevent it is not the rash; it is what can follow. In a significant minority, particularly over 60, the pain persists after the rash heals, sometimes for months or years. This is post-herpetic neuralgia; it is a nerve pain that responds poorly to ordinary painkillers, and it is one of the more miserable chronic conditions in general practice. Shingles affecting the eye can also threaten sight.
The NHS offers vaccination within defined age bands and to some immunosuppressed people. If you are outside those bands, you can have it privately, and there is a reasonable argument for not waiting, because your risk rises steadily with age and the vaccine works better the earlier in that curve you have it.
Why patients choose Our Shingles Vaccination Service
- Available without meeting an NHS age band.
- Same day appointments at ten clinics.
- Both doses scheduled and recorded, so the course is actually completed.
- Not a live vaccine, so suitable for many immunosuppressed people who could not have the older one.
- Given by a doctor or registered nurse in a clinical setting.
- Other vaccines given at the same visit where clinically appropriate.
- Vaccination records provided and shared with your NHS GP on request.
- No NHS registration or referral required.
- Ten clinics across the UK.
The two dose COURSE
Both Doses Matter
A single dose gives partial protection; the full benefit comes from completing the course. We schedule and record the second dose rather than leaving you to remember.
Any Time of Year
Unlike flu, this is not seasonal.
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 9am - 2pm.
How much does a SHINGLES VACCINATION COST?
Travel Vaccinations
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Yellow Fever Vaccine (Includes Certificate) | £95 |
| Hepatitis A (Booster after 6-12 months) | £50 |
| Typhoid (Covers for 3 years) | £50 |
| Diptheria, Tetanus & Polio (Covers for 10 years) | £50 |
| Malaria Prescription | £25 |
| Hepatitis B (Course of 3 vaccines – £195) | £65 |
| Rabies (Course of 3 vaccines – £195) | £65 |
| Japanese Encephalitis (Course of 2 vaccines – £250) | £125 |
| Meningitis ACWY (Covers for 3-5 years) | £75 |
| Cholera (Course of 2 vaccines) | £95 |
| Whooping cough vaccine (Pertussis) (Pertussis combined with D/T/P) | £95 |
How to book Shingles Vaccination
Step 1
Book Your Appointment
Same-day slots usually available. Book the whole family in one visit if that is easier.
Step 2
Quick Check
A clinician confirms that the vaccine is suitable and checks for allergies
Step 3
Vaccination
An injection in the upper arm or a nasal spray for eligible children.
Step 4
Record
A record of what you had is shared with your NHS GP on request.
Who should HAVE IT
- Are over 50 and outside the NHS eligible age bands.
- Are approaching the NHS age band and would rather not wait, given risk rises with age.
- Have had shingles before. Having had it does not prevent recurrence, and vaccination is still recommended.
- Are immunosuppressed, or about to start immunosuppressive treatment. This is the group with most to gain, since shingles is more severe and more likely to cause complications, and the modern non live vaccine can be given where the older live one could not.
- Have a long term condition such as diabetes, COPD or chronic kidney disease, which raise the risk.
- Live with or care for someone immunosuppressed.
- Have a history of post herpetic neuralgia in the family, or simply do not want to risk it.
Meet our Clinicians
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Ongoing care with a Membership Plan
Individual Plan
£79
Per User/month, billed annually
Affordable Healthcare For Individuals
- For one person. Ten free consultations a year, a complete annual health screen, 50 per cent off Super Screen bloods, priority appointment access, free prescriptions, letters and referrals, and direct access to a clinician.
Couples Plan
Popular£149
Per User/month, billed annually
Full Benefits For Two People
- Covers two people. Everything in the Individual plan, ten free consultations a year for both members, and two Super Screen Health Checks a year.
Family Plan
£199
Per User/month, billed annually
Cover The Whole Family For One Fixed Price
- Up to two adults and two children, £25 per additional child. Everything in the Individual plan, ten free consultations a year for all members, and four Super Screen Health Checks a year.
Shingles and its COMPLICATIONS
- Shingles usually begins with burning, tingling or itching on one side of the body, followed by a painful, fluid-filled rash that can last two to four weeks.
- Post-herpetic neuralgia is persistent nerve pain that continues after the rash heals. It can last for months or years and becomes more common with age.
- Ophthalmic shingles affects the eye and can cause inflammation, scarring and sight loss. It is a medical emergency requiring same-day assessment.
- Other complications include bacterial skin infections, scarring, hearing problems, facial weakness and, rarely, serious neurological problems.
- Shingles is not directly contagious, but contact with blister fluid can cause chickenpox in someone who has never had it or been vaccinated.
- Keep the rash covered and avoid contact with pregnant women, newborns and immunosuppressed people until the blisters have crusted over.
What is Shingles Vaccination
After chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus retreats into nerve cells and stays there for life. Your immune system keeps it suppressed. As immunity declines with age or immunosuppression, it can reactivate, travel back along a nerve to the skin, and produce shingles in the strip of skin that nerve serves, which is why the rash appears in a band on one side.
The vaccine works by boosting cell-mediated immunity against the virus, restoring the suppression that has weakened. The modern vaccine used in the UK is recombinant and adjuvanted rather than live, which matters for two reasons: it can be given to immunosuppressed people, who both need it most and could not have the older live vaccine, and it is substantially more effective, with over 90 per cent protection in trial populations including older adults.
Two doses are needed for the full effect, and protection has been shown to persist for at least ten years, with follow up continuing.
Side effects are more noticeable than for most vaccines, and it is fair to say so upfront: a sore arm is very common, and a proportion of people get fatigue, muscle aches, headache or mild fever for a day or two, sometimes enough to want a quiet day afterwards. That reaction reflects the adjuvant doing its job. Given the alternative is a risk of months of nerve pain, most people consider it a reasonable trade, but it is worth planning the appointment for a day when you can take it easy.
On having had shingles already. Vaccination is still recommended, because shingles can recur. Current advice is generally to wait a period after an episode before vaccinating.
Flu vaccination vs NHS What's The Difference?
| Flu Vaccinations | NHS Vaccinations | |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | None, any adult over the licensed age | Defined age bands, plus severely immunosuppressed adults from 50 |
| Cost | £250 | Free if eligible |
| Waiting Time | Same day | By invitation when you reach the age band |
| Vaccine Used | Non live, two doses | Same |
| Course Tracking | Scheduled and recorded | Recorded on your NHS record |
If you are within the NHS eligible groups, get it free. The programme has been expanding on a phased basis, so check your eligibility rather than assuming. Private vaccination makes sense if you are outside the bands and do not want to wait, particularly if you are immunosuppressed or have already had shingles once.
Shingles Vaccinations FAQs
£250.
The programme covers defined age bands and severely immunosuppressed adults from 50. Check before paying.
At least ten years on current evidence, with follow up ongoing.
Yes. The modern vaccine is not live, and immunosuppressed people are among those with most to gain.
Not as shingles, but someone who has never had chickenpox can catch chickenpox from contact with the blisters. Keep
the rash covered.That is an emergency. Seek same-day assessment, as it can threaten sight.
Two, typically two to six months apart.
Over 90 per cent protection against shingles in trials, and it substantially reduces the risk of post herpetic neuralgia.
Yes. Shingles can recur, and vaccination is recommended. There is usually a recommended interval after an episode.
More noticeable than most vaccines: sore arm very commonly, and fatigue, aches or mild fever for a day or two in a
proportion of people. Plan a quiet day afterwards.Nerve pain persisting after the rash heals, which can last months or years and responds poorly to ordinary
painkillers. It is the main reason to prevent shingles.
Ready to Book Shingles Vaccinations?
Book your first dose at your nearest clinic, and we will schedule and record the second so the course is completed.