Guidance

Child flu vaccination: reminder letter

Updated 18 November 2020

This year the NHS in England is sending out flu vaccination reminder letters to all children aged 2 and 3 years old, and all children in schools from reception age to year 7. The vaccination is free and, in most cases, is administered by nasal spray. As the type of flu can vary each winter, it’s recommended to have the vaccine annually. Even if your child was vaccinated last year, they’ll need to be vaccinated again this year or they won’t be protected.

Some children have one of the health conditions that makes them more susceptible to complications from flu and it’s particularly important they are vaccinated.

The NHS Immunisation Management Service is also making some follow-up phone calls after the letters have gone out to better understand why people haven’t taken up the opportunity of this very important vaccination, and to see if there is any help and support that can be offered.

If you don’t want your child to have a flu vaccination

You can decline the flu vaccination for your child by contacting your child’s registered GP practice and making a request for this decision to be added to your child’s record.

You will stop receiving further letters or invitations to attend. You should be aware that declining the flu vaccination on behalf of your child and having it recorded on your child’s GP record means no further contact will be made about the flu vaccination for this year, nor any future years, unless your child’s GP record is updated again.

You may also have received a letter if you are aged 16 or 17 and are in an at-risk group. If this is the case you can decline the vaccination for yourself using the process above.

How the programme works in schools

Schools work with their local vaccination team to support the programme, agreeing a date for vaccination sessions and providing parents with the invitation letter, information leaflet and consent form. The consent form has to be signed by parents or guardians and returned to the local vaccination team.

The programme is delivered by a local vaccination team including nurses, healthcare support workers and administrative staff. They may be part of the school health service, or from a specialist vaccination team. They administer the vaccination and work to nationally set standards. Staff have appropriate qualifications and training and are assessed for their appropriateness for working with children. Depending upon the advice that is current at the time, staff administering the vaccine may need to be wearing personal protective equipment.

If you’ve received a letter about a child who does not live at your address

To alert the NHS that you have received a letter about a child who does not live at your address, tick the box on the envelope that says, ‘Addressee no longer at this address’. Return to sender by putting the envelope into a letterbox. There’s no need to add a stamp.

If the original NHS envelope has been lost, you can place the letter in a new envelope and address it to:

PO BOX 397
BRISTOL
BS9 0DP

You do not need to add a stamp.

If there’s an error in your child’s letter

The names and addresses used to send out the flu vaccination reminder letters by the National Call and Recall Service are the same as are held at GP practices.

• if you’ve recently moved house, make sure the details held at your GP practice are correct and updated
• if your name is incorrect, please contact your GP practice to get your record updated
• if you’ve received a letter and the person is not known at your address, then please return to sender using the tick box on the front of the envelope
• if you’ve received a letter but don’t think you’re eligible for the free NHS flu vaccine please visit NHS.UK for a list of eligible groups
• if you’ve received a letter and it’s raised any concerns about your health please speak to your GP practice

Visit NHS England for more information about our purposes for processing your data or if you would like to make a complaint.

What the barcode on the letter is used for

The barcode displayed on letters sent to the parents and guardians of school-age children contains the child’s NHS number. It allows school immunisation providers to easily match the child with their NHS number.

This avoids any potential confusion around the child’s identity, such as a child being known by a different name at school to the one they’re registered with at the GP.

Making sure the NHS number is correctly recorded at the point of school vaccination ensures the vaccination is correctly noted on the child’s GP record.

Local school vaccination providers who are unable to scan the barcode will still be able to match the child with their NHS number and GP record using the details provided in the consent form parents and guardians completed for their child to receive the vaccination. Even if the school vaccination provider does not have a barcode reader you should ensure that your child takes the letter with them on the day of their vaccination so the provider can manually record the NHS number instead.

If you no longer have the letter

You do not need a duplicate letter if you have lost or damaged the original. As the NHS is contacting some 30 million people this flu season, it is not possible to produce individual duplicate letters.

You should continue to fill in any school paperwork or online consent forms, specifically ensuring your child’s full name appears as it is registered at their GP. For example, at school your child may use a shortened or variant form of their name, but using your child’s full name, as it is registered at their GP practice, means the school vaccination records can be matched-up with the GP record.

You need to check the following information is included and recorded correctly on school paperwork or online consent forms:

• child’s name as it is registered at the GP practice
• date of birth
• address and postcode
• NHS number, if you know it

Ideally, you should take the letter to the vaccination appointment.

If you have provided consent for your child to receive the flu vaccination to the school immunisation provider, the vaccination can be given.

You must complete the consent form (either electronically or the paper version), even if your child takes the reminder letter with them on the day.

If you cannot access the consent form you were sent to complete

If there are issues in accessing or completing the school vaccination provider’s consent form, in either electronic or paper format, raise this with the local school vaccination provider in the first instance. If you’re unsure who the provider is, ask the school for the contact information.

If your child is in a clinical at-risk group and cannot have the nasal spray vaccine

If your child cannot have the nasal spray vaccine (live attenuated influenza vaccine), they will still be able to access the correct vaccine.

The consent form (for children up to the age of 15) contains all the information required for the school vaccination provider to give your child the most appropriate vaccination for them. Please ensure you complete the form correctly and return it as directed.

If you prefer and your child has a clinical condition which means they cannot have the nasal spray vaccination, you can take your child to their registered GP to be vaccinated.

If you don’t want your child vaccinated due to the porcine gelatine content of the vaccine

You should complete the consent form as directed and explain you do not want to consent to the nasal spray vaccine. If you would like your child to receive an alternative vaccine later in the season, ask about this on the consent form. There should be enough of the injectable flu vaccine available to offer an alternative, subject to vaccine supply.

Children aged 16 and 17 who have a clinical condition that makes them eligible for the flu vaccination are able to give their own consent and request an alternative vaccine for themselves with their GP practice.

Further information on the children’s flu vaccination programme

Can I refuse my child’s vaccinations? (NHS)
Can I change my mind about my child having their flu vaccination? (NHS)
NHS vaccinations and when to have them (NHS)