The NHS has launched an investigation after it sent “priority” letters to people who died years ago, in some cases decades, urging them to book flu and Covid-19 jabs to reduce their risk of serious illness.
The health service is asking eligible patients to arrange appointments for both vaccines to avoid a potential “twindemic” of flu and coronavirus this winter, which would pile further pressure on hospitals and GP surgeries.
“You are a priority for seasonal flu and Covid-19 vaccinations,” the two-page letter tells recipients. “This is because you are aged 65 or over (by 31 March 2024).
“Having your flu and Covid-19 vaccinations will reduce your risk of serious illness and help you recover more quickly if you catch the viruses.”
However, some of the letters, which contain personal information such as NHS numbers, have been sent to people who died years ago. Others have been sent to people who are not eligible for the vaccines, with no connection to the addressee.
“Just got home to find a letter addressed to my mother who died over 20 years ago from Covid Vaccination Programmes NHS England,” posted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Something obviously gone wrong here … ”
Another user wrote on X: “It’s so upsetting to get a letter asking your mum to go for a Covid booster when she died 8 years ago! I sincerely hope the dodgy system that sent this to me is not sending them to loved ones who have died of Covid! So much for technology!”
A third user said on X that their father-in-law had received “his first ever priority flu jab NHS England letter” despite him having “been dead over 15 years”. In an update, they added: “Omg we got another one, identical just a day later.”
Another user said on X that NHS letters “all addressed to the wrong people” had been received by several people on their street. “How many of these have been incorrectly sent? And are letters intended for me being sent elsewhere?”
In a statement, NHS England told the Guardian it was investigating. It declined to answer questions about when the error was first discovered, what had caused it and how many people had been affected.
“We have been made aware of some letters sent in error and appreciate this may have been upsetting for those who received it – we are working as quickly as possible to investigate this,” a spokesperson for NHS England said.
The latest Covid-19 vaccine is now being rolled out across the UK, with more than a third of people aged 65 and over in England estimated to have received a jab.
The jab is being offered to everyone in the UK aged 65 and over, along with care home residents, frontline health and social care staff, those at increased risk because they are pregnant or have a certain underlying health condition, unpaid carers, and household contacts of anyone with a weakened immune system.
The rollout was brought forward as a precaution against the latest Omicron subvariant, BA.2.86. However, experts say there is no evidence that the new variant is more likely to make people seriously ill than others in circulation, while vaccination is likely to provide ongoing protection.
Health experts have warned to expect “further increases” in Covid-19 as the weather gets colder and people mix more indoors, along with a likely rise in other respiratory viruses such as flu.
