Somerset School Aged Immunisation Nursing Team (SAINT)

We deliver the routine national immunisation programme to your school aged children. This includes children who are educated at home, and others not in school.

We offer the vaccinations which protect children and young people against:

• Flu for school aged children in all eligible cohorts.  This is seasonal and begins mid to late September.
• The HPV vaccine – From 1 September 2023, the HPV vaccine reduced to 1 dose (unless immunosuppressed and/or known to be HIV-positive). HPV refers to a group of very common viruses, called the human papillomavirus, which live in the skin in and around the genital area. The virus can be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, including through sexual practises. The aim is to give the vaccine before most individuals become sexually active.  The HPV vaccine will be initially be offered to boys as well as girls in Year 8. It is very effective at reducing the risk of HPV infection, which can lead to certain cancers, including cervical cancer, cancers of the head and neck and cancers of the anus and genital areas as well as genital warts. You can find more information here and here.
• Meningococcal disease strains A, C, W, Y (MenACWY). Currently being offered to young people in Year 9. This vaccination protects your child against four different strains of the meningococcal bacteria that cause meningitis and septicaemia.
• Diphtheria Tetanus and Polio (Td/IPV). Offered at the same time as MenACWY in Year 9. Given as a single injection into the upper arm to boost your child’s protection against three separate diseases: tetanus, diphtheria and polio.
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine catch up programme for any young person who has not had 2 doses of the vaccine.

For your child to receive these vaccinations in school a decision form will need completed by someone with parental responsibility, if you have any queries about whether or not you hold parental responsibility and are therefore able to complete the decision form please, check the consent to treatment requirements at the link below or contact the immunisation team by email at SomersetSaint@somersetft.nhs.uk.

If we do not receive the completed decision form, each young person may be assessed on an individual basis and invited to self-consent for the vaccination, providing they can demonstrate an understanding of the vaccination being given. This is in-line with the Gillick competency and consent to treatment requirements.

If your child has missed their immunisation in school, is home educated or needs to catch up with their immunisations for any reason, you can bring them to one of our community clinics.

To book please contact Somerset SAINT on 0300 323 0032 or email: somersetsaint@somersetft.nhs.uk

If you are not sure which immunisations your child should have received please see the vaccination age checklist.

If you are not sure which immunisations they have already had you should contact your GP who will be able to check your child’s records.

If you have a child with immune problems they can still be vaccinated, usually with an injected inactivated vaccine. Similarly, if you have healthy children who have family contacts who are very severely immunocompromised, they should be given an inactivated influenza vaccine.

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