• Reference Number: HEY885/2025
• Departments: Emergency Department
• Last Updated: 30 November 2025

Patient Information Leaflet

This advice sheet has been produced to give you information about tetanus. It is not meant to replace discussion between you and your doctor. If after reading this and you require further explanation, please discuss this with the relevant person who has been caring for you.

Tetanus is a serious, life-threatening condition caused by bacteria getting into a wound. It’s rare in the UK because the tetanus vaccine has been part of the routine vaccination schedule for many years.

You are covered for tetanus if you have received all your childhood three vaccinations followed by two boosters.

You are not covered for tetanus if:

• You have been given only a booster
• You need to return to your GP to complete the course
• You have been given Human Anti-Tetanus immunoglobulin

Check with your GP surgery if you’re not sure you’ve been fully vaccinated against tetanus.

The Department of Health advise routine tetanus vaccinations are combined with a small dose of Diphtheria and Polio vaccinations. If you required a booster, you would have been given a vaccination call Revaxis, which contains anti-tetanus, Diphtheria and inactivated Polio.

Should you require further advice on the issues contained in this advice sheet, please do not hesitate to contact the Emergency Department.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats you, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to you. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your condition, the alternatives available to you, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about you

We collect and use your information to provide you with care and treatment. As part of your care, information about you will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide you with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your doctor, or the person caring for you.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about you. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you or your carer needs information about your health and wellbeing and about your care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.