Nurses to travel across Hampshire to vaccinate all school age children
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The new School-Age Immunisation Service, which will be made up of 40 specialist nurses and healthcare workers, is the result of a £1.3m investment from NHS England.
The service, which was previously part of the school nursing role, will be a stand-alone service offering support to all children aged four to 16, both in school and those being home-schooled.
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Hide AdThe team will also work with pupils in special schools, supporting eligible young people up to the age of 25.
Jabs administired will include those targeting the Seasonal Nasal Flu, as well as teenage boosters for Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio and MenACWY.
HPV vaccines will be offered to girls and boys in year 8 and year 9, and any catch-up childhood vaccinations like MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) for children who may not be immune will also be available.
Southern Health’s Immunisation Project lead nurse, Emma Franklin, said : ‘We are delighted to be introducing our new dedicated School-Age Immunisation Service and look forward to working closely with schools and families to ensure children across Hampshire are protected from vaccine-preventable illnesses.
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Hide Ad‘We’re particularly pleased to be extending our remit in all special schools in the county, which should make it easier for parents to get their children vaccinated. They will no longer have to take their children out of school - which may be some distance from home - for their GP to immunise them.
‘Another measure is the introduction of electronic consent forms to make access to the consent process easier for parents. Needless to say, we are constantly looking at ways to improve the service we offer and to remove any barriers to children receiving the vaccinations they need.’
The service is set to launch on August 1.