Shingles Vaccination Service

It’s estimated that up to 1 in 3 people will get shingles and the risk increases with age**.

A shingles rash can take up to four weeks to heal and, in some cases, can lead to long-term pain known as Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN) that can last for months or even years.

Shingles can’t be spread to others, but if you have shingles and come into contact with someone who has never had chickenpox before, they can get chickenpox from you. That’s because shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus.

Our service uses a vaccine called Shingrix. It’s given in two doses, with the second being administered two to six months after the first.

Shingrix is proven to be over 90% effective at preventing shingles in clinical trials^ so it will significantly reduce your risk of getting shingles. If you do get shingles after being vaccinated, the symptoms can be much milder^^.

If you’ve had shingles before, it may still be of benefit to get vaccinated as it can boost your immunity against further attacks of shingles^^.

Each vaccination will be given in the upper arm so it would be helpful for you to wear short sleeves or loose sleeves that can be rolled up.

The healthcare professional will talk to you about possible side effects before the vaccination. See our FAQs for more information.

The vaccination isn’t suitable for anyone who:

• Is under the age of 50
• Is pregnant or breastfeeding
• Has an active shingles or chickenpox infection

This isn’t a complete list and suitability will be checked before the vaccination is given.

The age range for the free NHS shingles vaccination is changing in a phased way over the next few years^^. Please see the summary below or visit the NHS website for further details.

You are currently eligible for the free NHS shingles vaccination if you:

• Are aged between 70 and 79
• Turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023^†
• Are aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system

We don’t offer the NHS shingles vaccination service at Boots so please ask your GP for more information.

^† If you turned 65 before 1 September 2023, you'll be eligible for the NHS shingles vaccination when you turn 70.

To enable us to give you the best and most appropriate care and advice, we collect your personal data such as name, address and date of birth, we also collect your more sensitive personal data regarding your health for the purposes of ensuring the service we provide is appropriate for you.

We may also process your personal data for carefully considered and specific purposes which are in our interest and enable us to enhance the services we provide, but which we believe also benefit our customers. Your personal data will be stored for as long as necessary unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

We may share your personal information across Boots services such as Boots Pharmacy and with other companies that provide services on our behalf but we assure you that Boots will never sell your personal data. We are committed to safeguarding your privacy and keeping your personal data safe and secure is our top priority.

For more information about who we may share your data with, how Boots process your data and how to amend or remove your data please see our privacy policy or contact Boots.CustomerCare_Team@boots.co.uk.