Croydon COVID-19 vaccination programme

Last updated: 05 March 2021

Your local NHS is delivering the biggest vaccination programme in its history. Everyone has an important part to play to help us with this programme of work

  • If you’re aged 60 or over you can book an appointment at a local vaccination centre or community pharmacy site online or by calling 119 for free.
  • If you’re under 60 and do not fall into one of the current priority groups the NHS will let you know when it’s your turn to have the vaccine. It’s important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then.
  • When we do contact you, or you have booked your appointment, please make sure you attend.
  • Please don’t go to a vaccination site without an appointment. Please continue to follow all the guidance to control the virus and save lives – hands, face, space.

Who’s being prioritised for vaccination?

Our priority remains vaccinating the most vulnerable people in south west London. The NHS will offer you a vaccination when it’s your turn – this will be when you’re in a priority group.

Find out who is being prioritised and why

What do you need to know about appointments?

When it’s your turn, you’ll be invited by the NHS to book an appointment.

Read more about how you will be invited for vaccination

Where can you get vaccinated?

The vaccination is being offered in a variety of places across south west London, including GP and pharmacy-led services, hospitals and community vaccination centres.

Find out where you can get vaccinated

Weekly update

We’ve offered jabs to everyone aged 60 years+ and now we’re focusing on vaccinating anyone considered clinically vulnerable, adult carers, people registered with a learning disability and adults with other related conditions, including cerebral palsy.

Read more in our weekly borough update

Highlight of the week

Marcia is a frontline social worker in Croydon. She wasn’t sure about having the COVID-19 vaccine but then decided she wanted to protect the vulnerable residents she visits, see her family and get back to being part of the community. Marcia had her vaccine at Selhurst Park stadium – watch her story.

Explore more films about COVID-19 vaccination

Top five questions

When it is the right time people will receive an invitation to come forward. For most people this will be a letter, either from their GP or the national NHS.

The NHS will let you know when it’s your turn to have the vaccine. It’s important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then.

Letters are being sent out every week – you might not get your letter straight away.

Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are now available. Both vaccines have been shown to be safe and offer high levels of protection, and have been given regulatory approval by the MHRA.

The Government has in principle secured access to seven different vaccine candidates, across four different vaccine types, totalling over 357 million doses. This includes:

  • 40 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine
  • 100m doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
  • 7 million doses of the Moderna vaccine, which has been approved by the MHRA but is not expected to be delivered to the NHS until Spring.

Yes. The NHS will not offer any COVID-19 vaccinations to the public until independent experts have signed off that it is safe to do so.  

The MHRA, the official UK regulator, have said that both of these vaccines have good safety profiles and offer a high level of protection, and we have full confidence in their expert judgement and processes.

As with any medicine, vaccines are highly regulated products. There are checks at every stage in the development and manufacturing process, and continued monitoring once it has been authorised and is being used in the wider population.

We understand that some communities have specific concerns and may be more hesitant in taking the vaccine than others. The NHS is working collaboratively with partners to ensure vaccine messages reaches as diverse an audience as possible and are tailored to meet their needs.

This includes engagement with community and faith-led groups, charities and other voluntary organisations.

No. Vaccinations are only available through the NHS. You can be contacted by the NHS, your employer, or a GP surgery local to you, to receive your vaccine.

Remember, the vaccine is free of charge.

  • The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details.
  • The NHS will never ask you for your PIN or banking password.
  • The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
  • The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.

If you receive a call you believe to be fraudulent, hang up. If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or identity theft you should report this directly to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. Where the victim is vulnerable, and particularly if you are worried that someone has or might come to your house, report it to the Police online or by calling 101.

Discover more answers in our Q&A

Information in different formats and languages

You can translate all the written content on this website by using the language menu in the top right hand corner of this page.

Useful resources are available in many languages and formats, including British Sign Language, which will help you to learn more about the vaccine and how it’s being offered. The handy resources have been produced by the NHS, Public Health England and partners.

Explore the leaflets to find out more

Engagement with local communities in Croydon

We know that in Croydon some of our communities are less likely to take up the offer of the vaccine than other groups.

We are engaging with local communities to give people the chance to ask local experts about the vaccine so that they can make informed decisions and we can understand any concerns they may have.

Our most recent events included a webinar for the BAME community hosted by Councillor Kabir, asking an expert panel ‘Should we take the vaccine?’, a Hindi/Urdu question and answer session, hosted by Asian Resource Centre Croydon, and a similar event for primary care staff.

Upcoming activity includes meeting with the Pentecostal church and working with Mind, HearUs and SLaM to meet people they work with who may have concerns about the vaccination process. We’re also planning a cross-borough event for the Tamil community.

To find out more about engagement in Croydon, you can read the Croydon Communications and Engagement Plan. 

If you would like to attend a local COVID-19 vaccination event or find out more, email getinvolved@swlondon.nhs.uk

COVID-19 news

Borough updates

For the latest coronavirus updates, and information from your area, please visit Croydon Council