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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Sandhya Suresh

More than 70,000 children have been vaccinated against the flu

More than 70,000 children have been vaccinated against the flu.

This is a result of new initiatives and targeted community work by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's school-age immunisation service (SAIS).

Through expanded reach across Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead, the SAIS engaged around 500 schools and implemented evening and weekend sessions, ensuring accessibility for families.

Locations for vaccinations included a hub at the Metrocentre and leisure centres in partnership with Active Northumberland.

Clinical leads Stephanie Gibbs and Caroline Smith said: "In recent years, we have worked to create a team of public health nurses, rather than simply immunisation nurses.

"Each nurse is designated to a cohort of schools and they effectively take on three roles in their day-to-day work; as a bridge between education and health, a point of contact, and to develop an insight into the challenges faced in each community."

The SAIS also administered the HPV vaccine to children aged 12 and 13, and reversed national trends with a 91.5 per cent HPV vaccination coverage in Year 9 girls within Northumberland over 2021/22.

They have also developed methods to confront vaccination hesitancy and recently piloted a text messaging initiative, resulting in 1,569 additional young people receiving vaccinations.

Ms Smith added: "An e-consent process allows access to real-time data on young people where consent has not been given.

"Further investigation can take place to see if this is caused by vaccine hesitancy, apathy or something else."

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