No one will vaccinate my reception age child

[user1496818407]

Aibu?? Ok so I signed a letter to say I wanted my child vaccinated at school (the flu nasal spray) anyways fast forward and my daughter has come home today and said that they were done today and she hadn’t it hers because she didn’t return the consent 😡 I’m sure I returned it but I obviously can’t prove I did and it’s been a school error, I rang the school to check my daughter was right and they confirmed that the other children did but not my daughter as they didn’t recieve the letter. I initially thought ok il just book her in with the surgery when I take my younger son (he’s 3) anyways....the doctor surgery are saying they will not give her it as it had to be done at the school, they are not budging and have refused to book her in. So now aibu to be really mad with the school?? Could they have rang me to double check??? Because of what I believe is a lost letter my daughter can’t have the spray this year!

Any advice would be appreciated 😀

[SoPassRemarkable]

Pay to have it done at Asda? Not sure if they do the nasal spray though.

[WreckTangled]

The nhs trust which are doing the vaccinations should be doing a mop up clinic for anyone who missed it. You should be able to get their number from the school.

The doctors surgery won't do it because they are not commissioned to do so.

[SoPassRemarkable]

I guess the school nurse won't do it because the team would only come to the school to do this once and then move into other schools.

GP won't do it because they won't have the funding/budget to do it. School health/nursing team will have the budget.

[Princessdebthe1st]

OP,
You are going to find this difficult to resolve. This is part of the roll out of the flu vaccine for children programme. In areas where it is running (which is not all) it is usually only delivered in school. Many CCGs have told GPs not to vaccinate children who would have it done in school. I know this because last year my daughter's school was not scheduled to have theirs done until January. As she had asthma I was not happy to wait that long and so asked for it to be done at the Dr's. Cue big problem that ended up involving health watch and the CCG to get it resolved as the GPs had been told the children had to have it in school. Pharmacys won't vaccinate under 16s and although we eventually we got it done by the GP it looked like we would have to go to a private clinic to sort it out. It was very frustrating. Most cities have private clinics. If you live in/near London I can recommend one.

[Dauphinois]

Wreck is right, there’s usually a mop up clinic. If you push School they should be able to find the details for you.

[Eryri1981]

My understanding of the rationale behind the flu vaccination programme in young children, is that they tend to frequent harbourers and infectors of others without the risk of severe effects of the disease themselves (which in my mind raises ethical questions).

Unless your daughter has a particular vulnerability herself (Asthma, diabetes), in which case I would have thought she would get it from the GP practice based on that criteria, then I'm sure she will be fine without it.

And therefore her not having it is to the communities detriment not hers...so their loss, really.

[WreckTangled]

It's also worth noting that the imms team is often a completely separate team to the school nursing team. So make sure the school give you the right number.

[SparklyUnicornPoo]

last year my daughter missed hers (coz she had flu so was off school) and we got a call from the mop up clinic about 2 weeks later

[WreckTangled]

They won't automatically send you a letter or call though because you didn't consent so they'll assume you don't want your daughter to have it

[endofthelinefinally]

When my DC were at school anyone who didn't have the vaccination due to being off sick, for example, would go to the session at a neighbouring school and have it there. It was never a big deal.
Did you not keep a copy of the signed consent?
I learned early on to keep a copy of everything.
Things do get lost - especially if you are relying on a child to hand it in.
The school should be able to give you another consent form and organise for your dd to join a cohort at another school nearby.

[Thebookswereherfriends]

My daughter got into a right tizzy about having it done at school, so I phoned my surgery and said can she have it at the surgery? They said they'd put her on the list to be done. Surely the surgeries need a small stock for kids who aren't at school? Honeschooled and the like.

[missyB1]

we are in this situation also. They organised an online consent form at ds school which we duly completed. Apparently there was some sort of "IT glitch" and some children (including ds) didn't get their vaccination as their consent had not been received!

We are hoping the Nurse will come back and vaccinate those who missed out, but no one can tell us when.

[SteelyPip]

This happened to me last year ( DS was absent on the day of the vaccinations.) If his school hadn't been the last in the authority (typical) then I could have taken him to a different school locally to get it done.

I had a ridiculous to and fro with the Drs and in the end I just said look he has a medical need to have it (which he does) and the nurse booked him in the next day.

[NotCitrus]

Ds refused to have his at school and the GP said he could have the jab but not the nasal spray as they didn't have it. So I got him jabbed after school one day. He preferred it. (but just did consent for nasal spray again as don't want to have to take time off to get him done again!)

[LIZS]

Ask school what the plans are for any absentee children . If there is no catch up maybe your hv can advise.

[WreckTangled]

How funny, literally just read an email that school sent out today advising of all the catch up clinics they're holding! It's forward on from the imms team at the nhs community trust.

[IAmBreakmasterCylinder]

Surgery are wrong. We have a notification from NHS England saying children who miss it at school can be given it in Practice.

I would go back to them and ask to speak to the practice manager.

Alternatively as suggested, ask school if they can put you in touch with the vaccination co-ordination for a top up session.

[user1496818407]

Thank you for all your replies, I’m definitely gonna go back to the school with some of your advice. The doctors are definitely refusing and I know it’s not 3rd world problems but I do want her to have it.
Thank you to the person suggesting I make copies I think from now on I will do.
Thanks again 😀

[Milliways]

We can give it to any child who also has a clinical need, or any child not at school. Those that miss it at school are supposed to have it in the school catch up clinics, if I think we could do it later in the season.
If she is on brown inhalers she should qualify for a surgery vaccine.

[CPtart]

Practice nurse here. We have been told not to vaccinate school age children unless they are in a clinical risk group (asthma, diabetes etc). It's national policy so GP's aren't just being awkward.
For those with 'low risk' children, I wouldn't sweat it. I've previously declined the vaccine for my healthy DC, which is largely being given to protect the elderly/vulnerable groups- thousands of whom refuse to have it themselves!

[AGnu]

We home-school & are having trouble finding someone willing to do it. Our GP says they can't do it & suggested going to Boots. Called Boots & they said we'd have to call back in a few weeks but someone else said that Boots won't do under 16s & haven't found anything on their website that says they do. I'm having my flu jab at the GP this week & plan to ask the nurse about it then. I'm happy for them to have a jab, rather than the spray, if it means they get immunised!

[Luckymummy22]

Last year my girl would never have got it if I didn't push GPS.
School were only doing from Yr 1 up. And GP we're doing under 5's. My DD was a Sept baby so had turned 5.
I had to push receptionist and explain what the official literature said.
In end gP surgery agreed to do it.
Good Luck!!

[Hedgehog80]

We got ours done at the gp as I did not want the school nurse doing it. The gp were fine about this I thought you could choose where you had it done