You have been sent to this consent website as your child is due to receive their annual live nasal flu vaccination.
Last year, most children offered the vaccine in schools had the immunisation. The vaccination is free and recommended for all school aged children and will be given by a quick and simple spray up the nose.
Read more about the nasal flu vaccine for primary school children here and secondary school children here
You will receive a confirmation email when you complete your consent.
Here are some of our most frequently asked questions.
Generally all school aged vaccinations are provided by the school immunisation team. The GP’s can vaccinate in certain circumstances, but usually only if the child has missed their vaccinations after the school year it was due.
Occasionally, the team may request that vaccinations are given by the GP if it is thought to be more suitable.
Whenever possible the team will provide a second vaccination opportunity, either in school or a community clinic. Please contact the team directly for further information.
It is important that you contact the Immunisation Team immediately and speak to a member of staff. We also advise that you contact the school if the vaccination session is planned within the next 72 hours .
The team will be happy to see your child in one of our community clinics. Please contact the team to discuss your requirements.
There are very few children that cannot receive their vaccinations.
However, if your child has a medical condition, it is possible that we will ask you or your child’s GP or consultant for further information to ensure it is safe for them to receive the vaccination at the current time.
All vaccines can cause side effects but studies suggest they are generally mild and soon settle. Some people may experience:
If you are worried about your child you can telephone 111 for non-urgent medical advice or contact your GP practice. In an emergency please telephone 999. Further advice can be found at: www.nhs.uk.
Call 111 for non-urgent medical advice and 999 in an emergency.
Our team report any post vaccination side effects that we are aware of, so please contact the Immunisation Team if you feel that we need to report any reactions experienced by your child.
Vaccinations can safely be given as long as the child is not systemically unwell.
If your child is not well enough to attend school, then our team will make arrangements to see them next time we visit. Generally if they are well enough to be in school, they are usually well enough to be vaccinated.
However, if your child is recovering from a chronic illness or recent infection, the nurse may decide to defer the vaccination until they are fully recovered. This is to ensure that any subsequent changes in their health are not wrongly attributed to the vaccination.
You can find further information on the NHS choices website.
Alternatively, you can speak to your GP, practice nurse or a member of the immunisation team.
We only ask for this information if it is needed to ensure the correct intervals between vaccinations. Please note that we do not have access to your child’s GP records, so we may not be aware of their previous vaccination date unless you advise us.
Children who should not have the nasal vaccine include those:
As children with pre-existing medical conditions may be more vulnerable to complications of flu it is especially important that they are vaccinated.
If you are unsure whether your child should get the injected vaccine or the nasal vaccine please check with the school immunisation team or your GP surgery.
Children may develop a runny or blocked nose, headache, general tiredness and some loss of appetite. However, these are much less serious than developing flu or complications associated with flu.
Serious side-effects are uncommon.
The injected vaccine is not being offered to healthy children as part of this programme.
However, if your child is at high risk from flu due to one or more medical conditions or treatments and can’t have the nasal flu vaccine they should have the flu vaccine by injection.
Some faith groups accept the use of porcine gelatine in medical products. For further information about porcine gelatine and the nasal flu vaccine, see www.nhs.uk/child-flu-FAQ.
No, the vaccine cannot cause flu because the viruses in it have been weakened to prevent this from happening.
Yes. The nasal vaccine contains a highly processed form of gelatine (porcine gelatine), which is used in a range of many essential medicines. The gelatine helps to keep the vaccine viruses stable so that the vaccine provides the best protection against flu.
The nasal spray contains viruses that have been weakened to prevent them from causing flu but will help your child to build up immunity. When your child comes into contact with flu viruses they will be better able to fight off the infection.
The vaccine is absorbed quickly in the nose so, even if your child sneezes immediately after having had the spray, there’s no need to worry that it hasn’t worked.
For most children, it is given as a nasal spray.
Having the vaccine will help protect your child from catching flu.
It will also reduce the chance of others in your family, who could be at greater risk from flu, such as grandparents, those with long term health conditions, or siblings that are too young to be vaccinated, getting flu from your child.
The flu vaccine changes every winter to match the different type of flu circulating each year. For this reason, we recommend that your child is vaccinated against flu again this year, even if vaccinated last year.
Flu can be a very unpleasant illness in children. It can last several days or more; causing fever, stuffy nose, dry cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, and extreme tiredness.
Some children can get a very high fever, sometimes without the usual flu symptoms, and may need to go to hospital for treatment. Serious complications of flu include a painful ear infection, acute bronchitis, and pneumonia.
Once you have submitted the consent you will receive an email to let you know we have received it. Please check your spam/junk folder if you don't receive it.
Please email us on support@riviam.zendesk.com. Please don't put any personal details in as this email is not for clinical issues.
Please contact the immunisation team who will be able to assist.
HRCH provides community health services for around 523,000 people registered with GPs in the London boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond, but also serves a wider population across south west London for a range of more specialist services.
Every day our professionals provide high-quality healthcare in people’s homes and convenient local clinics.
We help people to stay well in the community, manage their own health with the right support and avoid stays in hospital.
We employ around 1,189 people, who work across a wide range of health centres, hospitals, GP surgeries, children’s centres, local council facilities and in community settings – including in people’s homes.
For more information about these services please go to our website: https://www.hrch.nhs.uk/
If you still have questions about our service or immunisations, please get in touch with us using the information below.
Email us using HRCH.ImmunisationTeamMailboxSouthwark@nhs.net or call us on 020 8614 5496