Medically reviewed by Dr Simon Khela MBChB MRCGP - Private GP. Last reviewed: Oct 2026.
Written by: Dr Sabina Hanoman-Singh MBChB MRCGP GMC: 7419557 Private Medical Clinic
The NHS offers the shingles vaccine to people who turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023, everyone aged 70 to 79, and adults aged 18 and over with a severely weakened immune system. If you're not in one of those groups, you can usually still have it privately from age 50, or from 18 if a clinician agrees your risk is higher.
The vaccine used in the UK is Shingrix. It's given as two injections and isn't a live vaccine. Below you'll find who qualifies, why some people don't, what to expect from the side effects, how long protection lasts and what the private route involves.
In England, the NHS offers the shingles vaccine to:
- people who turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023
- everyone aged 70 to 79
- adults aged 18 and over with a severely weakened immune system, for example because of some blood cancers, some cases of HIV, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a recent transplant or medicines that strongly suppress the immune system
Your GP surgery should contact you when you become eligible. If you think you qualify and haven't heard anything, ask them.
The programme is being widened gradually. The UK's vaccine advisers (JCVI) recommend that it eventually starts at 60, and the UKHSA Green Book explains that this is being phased in over several years, starting with people turning 65 and 70. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland follow the same broad approach, but some details differ. In Scotland, NHS inform has the current rules.
- Most healthy adults aged 50 to 64: Shingrix is licensed from 50, but routine NHS vaccination starts at 65.
- People who turned 65 before 1 September 2023: You won't be offered it until you turn 70, which surprises a lot of people in their late 60s.
- People aged 80 and over: who weren't vaccinated in time, unless their immune system is severely weakened. Routine eligibility ends on your 80th birthday, although you can still have a second dose up to your 81st.
It isn't a safety issue. The NHS age bands come from JCVI advice based on cost-effectiveness modelling, which looks at where vaccinating the population prevents the most illness for the money spent. Those bands were first set when the old live vaccine, Zostavax, was in use. Zostavax worked less well as people got older UKHSA Green Book. Shingrix has no upper age limit on its licence, and a US real-world study cited in the Green Book found its effectiveness was not significantly lower in people aged 80 and over. If you're over 80 and not eligible on the NHS, you can discuss private vaccination with a clinician.
Yes. Private clinics and pharmacies in the UK generally offer Shingrix to:
- adults aged 50 and over
- adults aged 18 and over with a higher risk of shingles, after a clinical assessment
UKHSA guidance says that people outside the national programme who want to pay should go to an independent provider. NHS GP practices can't charge their own registered patients for it. That's why private shingles vaccination usually happens at private clinics and pharmacies rather than at your own surgery.
If you have a weakened immune system, speak to your GP or specialist team before paying. You may qualify for the free NHS vaccine, and the timing around your treatment matters. The Green Book advises starting the course before immunosuppressive treatment begins wherever possible.
It's free on the NHS if you're eligible. Privately, you pay for each of the two doses, and prices vary between clinics and pharmacies. When you compare prices, check that the quote covers both doses and the consultation. Our current price is on our shingles vaccine and fees page.
About one in four people get shingles at some point, and both the risk and the chance of complications rise with age UKHSA Green Book.
The rash usually clears within a few weeks. The bigger concern is post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), nerve pain that carries on for months after the rash has healed. Before the vaccine was introduced, around 9% of people in their early 60s who got shingles still had pain three months later. In people in their late 70s, it was about 20%. Shingles near the eye can affect sight, and it can occasionally affect hearing or the facial nerve NHS.
The people we see for a private shingles vaccine usually fall into a few groups. Some are in their 50s or early 60s and have watched a parent or partner struggle with PHN. Some are in their late 60s and have just found out they won't be invited until 70. Others have been told by a specialist that their risk is higher.
Waiting is also a reasonable choice. Plenty of people are happy to wait for their NHS invitation. The point is to know what your options are.
No. Shingrix is a recombinant vaccine. It contains a single protein from the virus plus an ingredient that strengthens the immune response, and no live virus. It can't give you shingles, and that's why it's suitable for people with a weakened immune system. The older vaccine, Zostavax, was live, which is why some older information online says otherwise.
Shingrix is given as two injections into the upper arm. The Green Book sets a minimum gap of eight weeks. On the NHS in England, most healthy adults have their second dose 6 to 12 months after the first for operational reasons. People with a severely weakened immune system have it 8 weeks to 6 months later. Privately, the second dose is often given from around eight weeks, so you finish the course sooner.
You need both doses for full protection.
According to the NHS, you can usually have the shingles vaccine at the same time as the flu, COVID-19 and pneumococcal vaccines. If you're booking a private flu vaccine this autumn, ask whether it makes sense to start your shingles course at the same visit.
Most side effects are mild and settle within two or three days NHS. They include:
- pain, swelling, redness, itching or bruising where the injection was given
- tiredness, headache or aching muscles
- a raised temperature or shivering
Shingrix is known for causing a sore arm, and some people feel rough for a day or so, after either dose. It helps not to plan anything demanding for the day after. Serious allergic reactions are very rare, and the person vaccinating you is trained to deal with them straight away.
The main downsides are practical. It's two injections rather than one, the short-lived side effects can put you out of action for a day, and it costs money if you're not eligible on the NHS. You shouldn't have it if you've had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose or to any of its ingredients. It isn't routinely given in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. If you're unwell with a fever, wait until you've recovered.
In the main clinical trials, two doses of Shingrix reduced the risk of shingles by about 97% in healthy adults aged 50 and over, and by about 91% in those aged 70 and over. Long-term follow-up found protection of roughly 72% to 84% between 6 and 11 years after vaccination UKHSA Green Book. Real-world figures tend to be lower than trial figures, as with most vaccines, but still show meaningful protection against shingles and long-lasting nerve pain.
For most people it's a one-off course. The UK programme doesn't currently include a booster. The exception is someone who later develops a severely weakened immune system: if they had the older vaccine, they may be offered Shingrix.
No vaccine is 100% effective, so you can still get shingles after vaccination. If you do, the NHS notes that symptoms can be much milder.
Yes. You can get shingles more than once, and the NHS recommends vaccination even if you've had it before.
The Green Book advises waiting until all symptoms have gone. It also says that an episode of shingles naturally boosts your immunity, so the benefit of vaccinating immediately afterwards is less clear. Your clinician can help you choose sensible timing. If you've had shingles twice or more within a year, you'll need tests to check your immune system before vaccination.
The vaccine prevents shingles. It doesn't treat it. If you have a new painful, one-sided rash, see a pharmacist or contact your GP or NHS 111, ideally within three days of the rash appearing. Antiviral medicine works best when started early NHS;NICE CKS). Shingles affecting the eye or nose, or any change in your vision, needs urgent assessment.
Shingles is the chickenpox virus reactivating, so you can only get it if you've had chickenpox. Most UK adults have, often without remembering it. Shingrix isn't designed to prevent chickenpox. If you're confident you've never had it, talk to a clinician, as a chickenpox vaccine may be more appropriate.
If you're eligible on the NHS, use it. It's free and it's the same vaccine.
If you're not eligible yet, think about how long you'd wait, your general health, whether anything (such as planned treatment) raises your risk, and how much finishing the course sooner matters to you. Some people in their 50s decide to wait until 65. Others in their late 60s would rather not wait two or three more years for an invitation at 70.
If you'd like help weighing it up, a private GP appointment or an online GP consultation can cover your history, your risk and the timing.
Private Medical Clinic offers the shingles vaccine for adults aged 50 and over, and for adults aged 18 and over with a higher risk of shingles, at our clinics across the UK. Your appointment starts with a conversation with a clinician about your history and whether now is the right time. If it isn't, we'll say so.
You can read more and book on our shingles vaccine page, see our other routine vaccinations, or find your nearest clinic.
*This article is general information and isn't a substitute for advice from your own clinician. NHS eligibility was correct when this article was reviewed and is updated each September.*
On the NHS in England, you're eligible if you turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023 or you're aged 70 to 79. Adults aged 18 and over with a severely weakened immune system are eligible at any age. Privately, Shingrix is licensed from 50, and from 18 for people at higher risk.
Yes, from age 50. Adults aged 18 to 49 may be able to have it if they're at higher risk, after a clinical assessment. Check NHS eligibility first.
No. Shingrix contains no live virus, so there's nothing for you to pass on to anyone.
For most people, yes. It's a single course of two doses, and the UK programme doesn't currently include a booster.
It's possible but much less likely. If it does happen, symptoms are often milder.
Usually, yes. The NHS says they can be given at the same appointment, normally in different arms.
We don't know yet. A 2025 study in Nature using health records from Wales found that older adults who had the old live shingles vaccine, Zostavax, were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the following seven years. That's an interesting finding, but it involved a vaccine no longer used in the UK, it was carried out in people around 80, and experts have urged caution about concluding the vaccine caused the difference. The shingles vaccine isn't offered in the UK to prevent dementia. The reason to have it is to protect against shingles and its complications.
You pay for each of the two doses, and prices vary. Our current price is on our shingles vaccine page.
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