Vaccination
Shingles vaccination
Shingles is the chickenpox virus waking up years later, usually as a painful band of rash on one side of the body. The rash clears in a few weeks. The nerve pain it can leave behind sometimes lasts months or years, and both the risk and the severity climb with age.
- GPhC premises 9011598
Recommendations depend on your health history and current guidance.
GPhC registered premises
9011598
Private and NHS pharmacy services from one registered pharmacy in Ewell, Epsom.
In short
Miles Pharmacy in Epsom gives shingles vaccination privately from age 50, usually within a few days of you calling. Two doses, £225 each, at times that suit you, using the same vaccine the NHS uses. Both appointments are booked before you leave.
- In trials
- About 97% protection at 50 to 69
- Lasts
- At least ten years no booster currently recommended
- Private from
- Age 50 usually within a few days
- Price
- £225 a dose
What shingles actually is
- An old infection waking up
- If you've had chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in your nerves. Shingles is that virus reactivating, often decades later, when your immune system dips with age, illness or treatment.
- What it feels like
- Usually burning, tingling or pain in one area first, then a rash of blisters in a band on one side of the body or face. It typically lasts two to four weeks.
- The lasting problem
- Post-herpetic neuralgia is nerve pain that carries on after the rash heals. It can last months or years, and both the risk and the severity climb with age.
- Other complications
- Shingles near the eye can threaten sight. Less commonly it affects hearing and balance, or causes longer-term nerve problems.
- You can't catch shingles
- You can't catch shingles from someone else, but someone who's never had chickenpox can catch chickenpox from contact with shingles blisters.
How well the vaccine works
Protection against shingles in the trials, two doses
- Aged 50 to 69
- About 97%
- Aged 70 and over
- About 91%
Protection lasted at least ten years in follow-up, and no booster is currently recommended. Source: UKHSA Green Book chapter 28a: shingles (herpes zoster).
- How long
- Protection lasts at least ten years, and no booster is currently recommended.
- Both doses matter
- One dose gives partial protection. The course isn't complete until the second.
- It reduces the nerve pain too
- As well as preventing most cases, vaccination lowers the chance of post-herpetic neuralgia in people who do get shingles.
- If you've already had shingles
- You can still be vaccinated, and it's usually recommended, because shingles can come back. We'd normally wait until the episode has settled.
Why people book with us
Nobody pays for this because the vaccine is different. They pay because of when, where and how quickly it happens.
- You're not in an NHS group
- Healthy adults aged 50 to 64 aren't covered yet, and neither is anyone over 80, even though shingles risk keeps climbing with age.
- The gap that catches people out
- If you turned 65 before 1 September 2023, you're not in the programme until you're 70. It's why a younger spouse often gets invited first.
- You don't want to wait for an invitation
- NHS invitations come when the programme reaches you, which can be months after your birthday, and appointments aren't always quick to get.
- You want to pick the date
- This vaccine can leave you feeling rough for a day or two, so it helps to choose a time that isn't the day before a wedding, a holiday or a big week at work.
- You want it done in one visit
- We can do your shingles vaccination alongside other vaccines at the same appointment, in a different arm.
- You want time to ask questions
- You get an unhurried conversation with a pharmacist, not a five-minute slot.
- Booking for two
- Couples and family members can be done together, and we book both second doses before you leave.
The two doses
- Standard
- Two doses six to 12 months apart. That's what the NHS uses for anyone with a normal immune system.
- Weakened immune system
- A shorter gap of eight weeks to six months, so you're covered sooner.
- If you want it finished sooner
- The licence allows two to six months between doses, which we can consider privately.
- Running late
- If your second dose is overdue, you don't start again. Just have it.
- With other vaccines
- It can be given at the same appointment as flu or covid vaccination, in a different arm.
- Which vaccine we use
- The recombinant adjuvanted vaccine the NHS programme uses. It isn't live, so it's suitable for people with weakened immune systems, unlike the older live shingles vaccine.
What it costs
Price
| Vaccine | What that covers | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Shingles | 2 doses, £225 each | £450 |
One price, paid when you book.
Work it out
When's your second dose due?
Enter the date of your first dose and pick the schedule that fits you, or tell us it's overdue.
This works out an answer in your browser. With JavaScript off, the sections below say the same thing in full.
Call us on 020 8393 1000Your answer
- I've had my first dose
- The date your second dose is due from, for the standard, weakened-immune-system or shorter private schedule
- Mine's overdue
- Confirmation that the course doesn't restart, and what to do next
Dates follow the UK schedules. We confirm yours at your appointment.
What to expect afterwards
This vaccine has a reputation for making people feel rough for a day or two. It's worth knowing in advance, because it's expected rather than a sign anything's wrong.
- Very common
- A sore, red or swollen arm, tiredness, muscle aches and headache. Some people get a mild fever, shivering or an upset stomach.
- How long
- Usually one to three days. The reaction is often stronger after the second dose.
- Planning around it
- If you can, avoid booking the day before something important. Paracetamol helps, and it doesn't stop the vaccine working.
- Why it happens
- The vaccine contains an adjuvant, an ingredient that deliberately provokes a strong immune response. That's part of why it works so well in older adults.
- Rarely
- Severe allergic reactions are rare and we're equipped for them. Tell us if you've reacted badly to a vaccine before.
- Don't let it put you off the second dose
- A rough couple of days after the first dose isn't a reason to skip the second. Without it, you're not fully protected.
What about the dementia research?
People ask about this a lot since the headlines, so here's a straight answer.
- What the study found
- A 2025 study in Nature used an accident of the Welsh rollout, where eligibility depended on date of birth, to compare similar groups. Those who were vaccinated were about 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the following seven years.
- Why it's interesting
- The date-of-birth cut-off makes the comparison stronger than most observational research, and the finding has since been explored in other work.
- What it doesn't mean
- It isn't proof that the vaccine prevents dementia, it wasn't a randomised trial, and preventing dementia is not what this vaccine is licensed or recommended for. We won't offer it to you on that basis.
- The honest position
- Have the vaccine because it prevents shingles and the nerve pain that can follow. If the dementia research turns out to be right as well, that's a bonus rather than the reason.
Who shouldn't have it
Allergy. Anyone who's had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose or to an ingredient.
Currently unwell. Postpone if you have a fever or an acute illness. A cold is fine.
Active shingles. Wait until the episode has settled, then vaccinate.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding. There's limited data, so vaccination is usually postponed unless there's a clear reason.
Under 50. It's licensed from 50, or from 18 for people at increased risk of shingles because of illness or treatment.
Your appointment
What the appointment involves
- Bring
- A list of your medicines and conditions, and any record of previous shingles vaccination, including the older live vaccine.
- How long
- About fifteen minutes.
- Booking the second dose
- We book it before you leave and remind you nearer the time.
Before you book
Questions about the shingles vaccine
Answered by the pharmacist who signs this page off.
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£225 per dose, including the consultation. The full course is two doses, so £450 in total.
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Usually within a few days, and often the same week. Call us and we'll find a time that suits you, including your second dose.
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Yes, privately. It's licensed from 50.
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NHS eligibility ends at 80, but you can still be vaccinated privately, and shingles risk keeps rising with age. We'll go through it with you.
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Yes, exactly the same vaccine. Paying privately buys you the timing, not a better product.
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Two. Six to 12 months apart normally, eight weeks to six months if your immune system is weakened, or two to six months privately if you want it finished sooner.
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No. Just have the second dose whenever you can.
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Usually yes, because shingles can recur. We'd wait until the episode has fully settled.
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Possibly. Bring what records you have and we'll go through it. People who are immunosuppressed and had the older vaccine are advised to have the current two-dose course.
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That's not what it's for. A 2025 Nature study found people vaccinated in Wales were about 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over seven years, which is interesting but observational. Have the vaccine to prevent shingles.
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Often for a day or two, particularly after the second dose: a sore arm, tiredness, aches, sometimes a mild fever. It settles quickly and it's a sign your immune system is responding.
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Yes, at the same appointment, in a different arm.
Find the pharmacy
Where to come, and when
Miles Pharmacy is in Epsom, Surrey. Patients come to us from across Surrey, including Ewell, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Banstead, and from Sutton, Cheam, Surbiton and Kingston in south-west London.
Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 9UR
How to get here Parking, trains, buses and step-free access
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The door is on Chessington Road, with step-free access
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The station car park, on Station Approach off Chessington Road
- Address Elizabeth Court, Station Approach, KT17 1DR
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Step-free to all platforms, by a footbridge with lifts
- Step-free to every platform (National Rail step-free category A)
- Lifts two, on the footbridge
Checked against nationalrail.co.uk
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Outside the pharmacy, with a stop on each side of Chessington Road
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Cycle parking at the station
Take this with you
Point your phone's camera at the code and this page opens there, with the directions one tap away.
Sources
- UKHSA Green Book chapter 28a: shingles (herpes zoster). Checked .
- NHS: shingles vaccine. Checked .
- Summary of Product Characteristics, recombinant adjuvanted shingles vaccine (electronic medicines compendium). Checked .
- Eyting M et al. A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia. Nature 2025. Checked .
Vaccination
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- Private and NHS
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Opens 9am today
Prefer to talk? 020 8393 1000