Hertfordshire and East Anglia Community and School Age Immunisation Service

If you need to speak to someone in our teams to discuss your vaccination appointment or if you have an eligibility enquiry please get in touch:

Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire Community and School Age Immunisation Service:
Telephone Number: 0300 555 5055 Option 1 – 8am to 4pm
Email: hct.immsenquiries@nhs.net
Follow us on Twitter: @HCTNHS

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Community and School Age Immunisations Service:
Telephone Number: 0300 555 5055 (Option 2) – 8am to 4pm
Email: hct.csaiscambspb@nhs.net
Follow us on Twitter: @CambsImmsTeam

Norfolk

Norfolk Community and School Age Immunisations Service:
Telephone Number: 0300 555 5055 (Option 3) – 8am to 4pm
Email: hct.csaisnorffolk@nhs.net
Follow us on Twitter: @ImmsNorfolk

Suffolk

Suffolk Community and School Age Immunisations Service:
Telephone Number: 0300 555 5055 (Option 4) – 8m to 4pm
Email: hct.csaissuffolk@nhs.net
Follow us on Twitter: @SuffolkImmsTeam

Vaccination UK (Influenza School Vaccines)

Telephone Number: 01462 341173
Email: vaccinationhertfordshire@evguk.co.uk
Or visit their website: travelvaccination.co.uk

Are you or your child eligible to be vaccinated?

Vaccinations have age brackets where you first become eligible, and often there is a set period (normally four weeks) between doses of the same vaccine).

However, you can have several different vaccines at once. For example, you can have your School Leaving Booster (DTP) and your Meningitis ACWY vaccination on the same day.

For the 2021/22 Academic Year the eligibility will be as follows:

A child will continue to be eligible for a vaccine even if they missed it the first year of eligibility – for example, if a HPV vaccination was missed in Year 8, it can still be give as a catch up in Year 9.

There are some specific requirements for each vaccine or area, which is described in the chart below:

How do you consent to be vaccinated?

For those under the age of 16, parents, or adults with Parental Responsibility granted through court, must give consent for vaccination via our online system.

Parents/carers will receive the information from school, usually via the school’s email or text system, including instructions for giving or declining consent online via our accessible “E-Consent” process, as well as a closing date. Young adults over the age of 16 are able to consent themselves without requiring parental consent.

It is important to remember to complete your consent form online even if you or your child is refusing to receive the vaccination with us. We can base future planning and changes to how vaccinations are provided from your responses and ensure our services meet your needs. You can change your consent/refusal at any time whilst the online portal is open use the link provided by your school – or if you need to urgently change this consent form and the portal is already closed for that session please call us on the Contact Us details listed above.

Very occasionally, a young person under the age of 16 may request a vaccination without parental consent. In these circumstances a qualified clinician would make a thorough assessment of the young person’s understanding, knowledge and competence to make such a decision. If the decision is made that they have the right level of knowledge and understanding, and they cannot be persuaded to discuss it with their parents, the clinician may go ahead and vaccinate the young person, known as Gillick Competency.

Children will be called down in groups to be given their vaccinations on the day we visit their school.

Children absent on the day of the vaccination session may be able to be seen at a future session if the team have more than one session booked for the vaccine. Alternatively, you may have an invitation to book an appointment at one of our community clinics should you wish to catch up any missed school vaccines.

It’s completely natural that children might feel anxious about having their vaccines. Here is some advice on how to reassure your child about some common worries, and how best to look after them once they’ve had a vaccination. If you have anything that you or your child are about worried about, you can call the immunisation team.

Top tips

• It helps to talk to your child about why they are having a vaccine. You could explain that it is only a few seconds only of discomfort and protects them from diseases that could make them very unwell.
• If you can, make sure your child wears short sleeves on the day as this makes it much easier and quicker, and your child won’t have to undo/take their shirt off. 
• Encourage your child to eat breakfast. Being anxious burns more calories and can cause a headache after they’ve had the injection.
• If your child is anxious they could practice deep breathing to help them relax. They can use an app like Headspace, or count to 10 breathing slowly in through their nose and then out through their mouth.
• The nurse will support your child and chat to them about the vaccination process.
• Suggest that your child flicks the palm of their own hand – the sensation and length of time it lasts are similar to having an injection.

Getting and feeling ready

• The injection is not like a blood test. It is easier and much quicker.
• It feels like a pinch or a cat scratch.
• The needles are not huge - just long enough to get to the right place!
• It’s much quicker than having a piercing or a tattoo.
• The needle cannot break off in your arm and we can’t leave any part of it inside you.
• Reactions to vaccines are very rare, and even more common ones tend to be mild and pass quickly.
• The vaccine protects you, it doesn’t harm you – even if you feel sore or tired after the vaccination you’re not sick; it’s just your immune system working, and your body learning how to fight that virus in the future.

Aftercare

• Your child will be advised to continue with their normal activities and to move their arm regularly after their injection. This will help to avoid the arm feeling stiff.
• It is very common to experience mild side effects such as redness, pain and swelling at the injection site. Paracetamol can be taken if needed.
• Your GP practice will be automatically notified that you’ve received a vaccination so that it can be recorded in your medical record at the GP – you don’t need to tell them separately.
• If parents, carers or children have any concerns, they can contact the team via the details on our Contact Us page. Out of hours, advice should be sought from 111 or their GP if you feel you have had a reaction to a vaccine.

Feedback and patient experience

The Trust's Patient and Carer Experience Team supports everyone who uses our services to share their feedback and to work alongside the Trust departments to understand feedback and make improvements where necessary.

One of the tools we use is the Friends and Family Test; which is a national questionnaire designed to measure how well a service is performing and where there may be areas for improvement.

If you would like to know more about the Patient and Carer Experience Team please visit their homepage here.

Alternatively if you’d like to contact the teams directly:

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Telephone Number: 0800 011 6113 / 01707 388164 - 10am to 2pm
Email: pals.hchs@nhs.net

Raising a formal complaint and providing feedback
Telephone Number: 01707 388036 - 9.30am to 4pm
Email: hct.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net