School not offering flu vaccine until January

[hazelnutpraline]

It’s normally in November but I’ve just had an email from the school saying the children will be offered it sometime in January. I’m really worried about flu this year and that seems really late in the season. Does anyone know if you can get the flu spray privately anywhere? We’re in the Southwest. I asked our GP and they said they couldn’t offer it as it’s up to the school.

Boots?

We had DS1 done in Boots as he needed an egg free vax. It will be the injection though. You might need to ring round to find one with a pharmacist that's trained to jab under-16s - not all of them are.

Our school had the flu sprays booked for October and then got an email saying they'd been cancelled due to staff availability and heard nothing since

I’ve been trying to get DD (2.5) booked in for her nasal spray one and the surgery just keep saying they don’t have it, and don’t know when they’re getting it. I haven’t found anywhere else that does the spray.

www.boots.com/online/pharmacy-services/winter-flu-jab-services Says 12-15 in selcted stores.

I'd look on-line or ring local pharmacist - though no-one local to us does under 16s or haven't in past years - so I have to wait till usually late December to get asthmatic DS done at GP.

Luckily it was done early in school - and Boots did 16 year old DD1 so this year we've all be done quite early.

I'm also in the South west and the same has happened at our school. Virgincare are overwhelmed getting the covid jabs rolled out at secondary schools and the flu vaccination has been pushed back to mid Jan.

As far as I can tell you can't get the spray privately, only through school or your GP if you have an underlying illness that makes you vulnerable.

Please bear in mind it it the NHS immunisation team that go into schools to administer the flu spray, not the school itself. The school has no control over the dates they are allocated by the NHS for flu sprays

@PickledWilly

Please bear in mind it it the NHS immunisation team that go into schools to administer the flu spray, not the school itself. The school has no control over the dates they are allocated by the NHS for flu sprays

Not always NHS - it's VirginCare here who have messed up vaccinations.

I think some Lloyds pharmacies do the jab for over 12s?

Also in the Southwest and ours has moved from next week to the end of Jan. Also can't get 3 year old into the GP for his.

I’m not in the SW but my DC missed the school one. Ended up getting it done at the children’s dept of the local hospital. Had to phone about 100 numbers before I got the correct place to call but maybe try the outpatients there and see if they are doing children’s flu vaccinations.

Pretty much all pharmacies do flu vaccines. See if any of your local one do the spray.

Ours has been pushed back to December - should have been October

@PickledWilly

Please bear in mind it it the NHS immunisation team that go into schools to administer the flu spray, not the school itself. The school has no control over the dates they are allocated by the NHS for flu sprays

The school are offered dates and it’s up to the school when they go in. If it’s the school that’s preventing them going in until then you need to complain about it. Contact the flu team directly and ask if you can take your child to their office to have it. If your child has a medical reason to need it, push that.

@blackteaplease

I'm also in the South west and the same has happened at our school. Virgincare are overwhelmed getting the covid jabs rolled out at secondary schools and the flu vaccination has been pushed back to mid Jan.

As far as I can tell you can't get the spray privately, only through school or your GP if you have an underlying illness that makes you vulnerable.

Shocking that Covid jabs have been out ahead of the flu for this age group! My dd had the nasel spray done today, so so grateful! I’d be playing hell if I was in this position.

DD has underlying health condition so is entitled to flu jab. I phoned to GP twice already and was told that they haven’t got flu spray in stock. So it’s not about NHS or schools it’s still about lorry drivers…
She could have a jab at Boots but it wouldn’t be a nasal spray and it would be privately. They do free jabs only for over 50s. I wouldn’t mind to pay in general and she would tolerate a jab but I was told that the nasal spray would be better for her, more effective. Respiratory illnesses are her weakness.
At least DH and I have got ours.

Southwest and same at our primary. Was booked for October / nov at the school but due to secondary school priorities and other stressors they’ve had to put primary back to January in our town.

The letter did say if they’re vulnerable to go via gp

West Midlands here. One DC got theirs at secondary last month, my other secondary school pupil, at another school, his was pushed back to Jan. He is asthmatic so we have just had the nasal at the GP. We could have paid privately for a vaccine.

SE London here and my daughter's school have sent out the permission forms now but the vaccines aren't being given until January 🤷

Private GP as one off (not as much as you might think, I was quoted £25 last year), travel vaccination clinics (they do all kinds of vaccinations, not just travel ones), direct with GP if eligible, pharmacy if within allowed age range. Depending on age, injected vaccine might be perfectly fine.
You will have to make a few phone calls.

We are in the same position for my primary school child.
GP said they can't give for school age children. Can't find spray vaccine in chemists here.

Frustrating.

Hello and thanks everyone. My DD is 5. I will call round and see if any private clinics or pharmacies will do the spray. Hope those of you searching also manage to get one

We had the same a couple years ago - I felt it was pointless waiting that long but we waited it out and got it. Thankfully mine have never had flu but still worth it! In my kids school sometimes it's October sometimes January - no consistency.

Worth ringing doctors surgery to ask if they will consider doing it slightly earlier 💕or maybe privately!

I posted something similar the other day regarding my children’s flu spray constantly getting cancelled. It is now (supposedly) booked for this Wednesday. I was given the advice which the other posters have put, paying privately and calling the GP to see if it can be done at the local hospital. It is disgusting though. My children have been so poorly since going back to school it terrifies what would have happen if they caught the flu!