Drive-through HPV vaccinations set up for Lincolnshire pupils

‘Drive through’ vaccination sessions for HPV will take place at a number of sites across Lincolnshire this summer.

Letters are being sent to 1,500 parents of Year 8 children across the county this week, urging them to provide consent for their child to receive the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination by completing a short online form.

Parents will then be contacted by the Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) team to arrange an appointment at one of the four sites across the county.

LCHS is currently finalising details for the four drive-through sites and confirmed that Johnson Hospital in Spalding will be one of the venues. It will share details about the other sites as soon as it is able to.

The vaccine is given in two separate doses in Year 8 and 9, normally in schools, but they have been closed to Year 8 pupils due to the coronavirus lockdown.

The vaccine provides protection against a number of life threatening cancers, including cervical cancer and mouth, neck and throat cancers.

LCHS is organising the ‘drive through’ sessions in July and August.

Across Lincolnshire, 82.4% of parents have already taken steps to protect their child’s health by supporting this year’s HPV vaccination programme.

For the first time from this year, the vaccine is also being given to boys in Year 8 at school, aged 12 and 13 years in England to help prevent more cases of HPV related cancers in boys and girls.

Tina Bramley, Strategic Lead for Children’s Specialist Services from LCHS, said: “We want to make sure no child misses out on the opportunity to be protected from potentially life threatening conditions like cervical cancer and cancers of the mouth, neck and throat.

“We were fortunate that the vast majority of Year 8 children attending Lincolnshire schools – 6,613 pupils in total – had already received their HPV vaccination before the coronavirus lockdown took full effect.

“Recognising that schools are currently closed for Year 8 secondary school pupils, we have put plans in place to deliver an innovative ‘drive through’ vaccination service, minimising inconvenience for parents and maximising the health benefits for their children.

“I’d urge any parent who has received a letter asking for consent for their child to have the HPV vaccination to go online and complete the online form without delay to make sure that their child is properly protected against some very serious cancers in the future.”