Don’t miss out on your child’s HPV vaccination - give your consent today!

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

The HPV vaccine, given in two separate doses in Year 8 and Year 9, provides protection against a number of life threatening cancers including cervical cancer and mouth, neck and throat cancers.

The vaccinations are normally given at school which have been closed to Year 8 pupils as part of the coronavirus lockdown.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) is organising a series of innovative ‘drive through’ vaccination sessions at a number of sites across Lincolnshire during July and August to make sure children do not miss out.

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

Tina Bramley, Strategic Lead for Children’s Specialist Services from Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 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.”

Parents who receive a letter from LCHS will be asked to give their consent for their child to have the HPV vaccination by completing a short online form. Parents will then be contacted by the LCHS team to arrange an appointment at one of the four ‘drive through’ sites across the county.

The HPV vaccine offers significant protection against a range of cancers, 99.7% of which are caused by the HPV virus. The HPV vaccine is given in two separate doses, the first in Year 8 and a second 12 months later in Year 9. Both doses must be given to provide effective protection.

For the first time from this this year, the HPV 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.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust provides local community based health care services across the county to help people live independently at home including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language services, community nursing and children’s therapy services. The Trust also provides four community hospitals.