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Hampshire and Isle of Wight teams lead the way in the 12–15-year-old vaccination programme

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight teams have recently topped the national vaccination records for successfully delivering over 51,500 first dose Covid-19 vaccinations to the 12–15-year-old age group.

Teams from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, Solent NHS Trust, GP’s and NHSP Bank Staff visited over 160 education settings over 7 weeks since the programme began at the end of September. This included up to 8 teams visiting multiple schools daily across the region. The biggest drive to vaccinate school children since the immunisation services were launched.

The partnership working between the Trusts ensured that all children who were eligible for vaccination were able to access one either at school or by visiting a mass vaccination centre, without disruption to their education.

When speaking to Ginny Taylor, Deputy Director of Operations for Children and Family Services who lead the programme for Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, she said “It was a massive, combined team effort, people from all roles and different organisations working together, just shows what can be achieved when working towards the same goal”

The teams also vaccinated children who were inpatients with CAMHS, specialist and private schools, whilst supporting those who are home educated to ensure they had access to Mass Vaccination Centres or venues local to where they live so all children were treated equally when being offered the vaccine.

With new guidance coming from Public Health England every day, the record-breaking teams are already putting plans in place to start the 2nd dose roll out to schools once they are back. These will include any young people who may have missed the 1st dose or have since turned 12, this will also include freeing up additional spaces at Vaccination Centres which can be booked via the national booking system.

Each education setting will be in contact with parents and carers soon and will be able to advise you of when the dates will be.

Parents of children with underlying health problems should seek advice from their GP.

Whilst we understand that parents and carers will be likely to be informed about the Covid-19 Vaccination, children may feel worried or afraid, please visit the our school age immunisation pages for more information. 


Health Visiting Service gets gold award for Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI)

We are pleased to announce that Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust – Health Visiting Service  has been accredited with the gold certification as a Gold standard Baby Friendly Service by the National BFI designation committee.
 

This is a massive achievement, as it reflects the continued hard work and dedication from our teams, to ensure that parents are supported to feed their babies in the best possible way. This award also demonstrates the organisation embraces a Baby Friendly culture and provides a quality service which is valued by our families.

Vaccinations for 12 - 15 year olds

This autumn all children in England aged 12 to 15 are being offered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 is a very infectious respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Very few healthy children and young people with COVID-19 infection go on to have severe disease.

Vaccinating children should help to reduce the need for children to have time off school and to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 within schools. 

Below is a range of helpful information and resources regarding the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

If you have any questions regarding this programme please email: hsiccg.covid.vaccination.enquiries@nhs.net

      Vaccinations for people aged 12 to 15

      Accessible formats: Anyone who uses assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and needs a version of this document in a more accessible format is asked to please email publications@phe.gov.uk and state which format they need.

      Guidance for parents

      Guides for children and young peopleGuidance for schools

      Easy reads

      Further public information resources about COVID-19 and the vaccination programme:

      These are also available in alternative formats including leaflets and videos translated into different languages, easy-read information leaflets, British Sign Language videos and large print information leaflets:

      Get the latest updates and advice on the vaccine programme from:

      NHS gearing up to deliver essential winter vaccines

      The NHS is gearing up to deliver the safe and effective annual flu vaccination programme from autumn as it’s the best protection against flu and its compilations.

      Flu and coronavirus can make some people seriously ill and it’s more important than ever to get the flu vaccine if you're eligible to, particularly as it is expected that this will be the first winter when COVID-19 will co-circulate alongside the seasonal influenza virus.

      The flu vaccine is free for older people, pregnant women, and those with certain underlying medical conditions.

      The expanded influenza vaccination programme that we had last year, will continue this year (2021 to 2022). This means that the offer for 50 to 64 year olds will continue to protect this age group.

      In addition, this year’s programme has been extended to 4 additional cohorts in secondary school so that all those from years 7 to year 11 will be offered the vaccination.

      Therefore, those eligible for the free flu vaccination on the NHS this year (2021 to 2022) are:

      ·         all children aged 2 to 15 (but not 16 years or older) on 31 August 2021

      ·         those aged 6 months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups

      ·         pregnant women

      ·         those aged 50 years and over

      ·         those in long-stay residential care homes

      ·         carers

      ·         close contacts of immunocompromised individuals

      ·         frontline health and social care staff employed by:

      ·         a registered residential care or nursing home

      ·         registered domiciliary care provider

      ·         a voluntary managed hospice provider

      ·         Direct Payment (personal budgets) and/or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants.

      Children aged 2 and 3 will continue to be offered the quick and easy nasal spray through their GP and all school aged children will be offered it in school unless they have an underlying health condition. An alternative flu vaccine, in the form of an injection, will again be available this year for children whose parents decline the flu nasal spray due to its porcine gelatine content.

      The  JCVI’s interim advice is that any potential COVID-19 booster programme should be offered in two stages from September, starting with those most at risk from serious disease. This includes people aged over 70, clinically extremely vulnerable adults and those who are immunosuppressed.

      The NHS is expecting a decision very soon as to whether the flu vaccination and COVID-19 booster can be given together, at the same time.

      Flu is very infectious and easily spread to other people from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. To reduce the risk of spreading flu wash your hands often with warm water and soap, use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze and bin used tissues as quickly as possible.

      Please keep a look out on your GP practice website for more information or visit the NHS website.


      Coronavirus update

      As lockdown restrictions begin to ease we must remember to follow the latest guidelines.  

      Remember - ‘Hands. Face. Space. Fresh Air'

      • HANDS  – wash your hands regularly and for at least 20 seconds
      • FACE – wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet
      • SPACE  – stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings)
      • Fresh Air - Meet in the fresh air
      For more information on the current national guidance please visit: www.gov.uk/coronavirus

      For the most recent school data regarding coronavirus cases please visit:  Cases of COVID-19 reported by Hampshire schools | Health and social care | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk)

      Maternal Mental Health 
      resources available from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

      Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week is a week-long campaign dedicated to talking about mental health problems during and after pregnancy.

      It’s all about raising public and professional awareness of perinatal mental health problems, advocating for women affected by it, changing attitudes and helping families access the information, care and support they need to recover.

      Recommended Maternal Mental Health Services available through Hampshire Healthy Families and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust:

      Health Visiting  
      Knowing Me Knowing You  
      Italk
      ChatHealth  
      Solent Mind  
      Southern Health  
      Family Nurse Partnership 

      Recommended Paternal Mental Health Support services for Hampshire Healthy Families and Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust:

      Italk
      ChatHealth
      DadPad 
      Mind
      Paternal Mental Health
      Pandas

      Resources and guidence from Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

      Updated guidance from Unicef for Professionals - women who are breastfeeding and the Covid-19 vaccine

      To continue to support health professionals to provide care for babies, their mothers and families during the ongoing pandemic, UNICEF have updated their Covid-19 resource and guidance page with new guidance on how to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine with women who are breastfeeding (see FAQ #14).

      Find out more

      Healthy Infant Feeding Booklet

      The NHS have created a booklet in conjunction with local parents which contains information which will help support you with your decisions around feeding your baby.

      You can access the booklet here:

      Healthy infant feeding booklet

      Family wellbeing and mental health resources

      Barnardo's have produced  a list of resources and links  to help with supporting children’s understanding with COVID-19, and suggest play experiences and activities for children. Includes a link to the free 'Nurse Dotty' book for children titled "Dave the Dog is worried about Coronavirus".

      Southern Health have produced a COVID-19  Family Wellbeing pack to support families' with children from 0-5 years and also a School Age Wellbeing Pack mental health at this time.

      Every Mind Matters have a range of tips and advice on maintaining mental wellbeing while at home.

      Mentally Healthy Schools have created a toolkit with resources, signposting and helplines to support parents with talking about Coronavirus and the impact on children's mental health.

      Mental health support is now available 24/7 via the NHS 111 helpline - dial 111 and ask to speak to a mental health nurse.

      For parent mental health support please contact your Health Visitor or GP. You can also find further information available regarding NHS Mental Health Services.

      Healthwatch provide a list of mental health support services for parents in need.

      DorPIP provide online resources specifically aimed at mental health support for dads.

      The Samaritans also provide a listening service throughout the year, as well as a self-help app.

      Please also see our Children and Young People and Adult specialist support pages for further mental health information and resources.

      Help is out there for children and young people living with domestic abuse

      Is someone in your family hurting someone else? If abuse is happening at home, you probably want it to stop but you might not be sure what you can do. The best thing to do is to tell someone what is going on. You might be able to talk to the person who is being hurt. If not, you could try talking to a teacher, a neighbour, a friend or a friend’s parent.

      You can also call a helpline – they will be able to tell you where you can get help near where you live.

      Remember, domestic abuse is not your fault. You won’t get into trouble for telling someone.

      If someone in your family is hurting someone else, it’s important to get help:

      Hampshire Domestic Abuse Service Advice Line 03300 165 112 weekdays 9.30am-5.30pm (5pm Fridays).

      Childline is available for children and young people to reach out for help and support by phone or using their online chat service. They also provide specific guidance for young people on how to get help and what to do if they are worried about a friend. Telephone: 0800 1111.

      The NSPCC has issued guidance for spotting and reporting the signs of abuse on their website. The NSPCC Helpline is available for anyone with concerns about a child to contact for professional advice and support. Telephone: 0808 800 5000. Email: help@nspcc.org.uk .

      Barnardo’s provides support to families affected by domestic abuse.

      Family Lives also provide support through online forums.

      Useful resources for parents during COVID-19

      Get the latest information and advice about COVID-19 from the NHS website .

      The NHS have a handy emergency treatment guide showing parents when and who to contact if your child is ill or injured during the current COVID-19 situation.

      Hampshire Constabulary detail  partner organisations who can help if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, or telephone the National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

      Aurora New Dawn is a Hampshire charity which has set up a new domestic abuse COVID-19 helpline that is available 24/7: 02394 216816.   

      The Lullaby Trust offer advice about pregnancy and caring for your baby throughout the current COVID-19 situation.

      The Institute of Health Visiting has some tips on how to cope with a crying baby during COVID-19.

      The Hampshire Health Visiting team have produced a COVID-19 guide to Infant Feeding Support .

      YSS run a ' Skills4Life ' project aimed at women aged 18 years and over, who provide free, impartial, financial training around issues such as debt, managing finances and budgeting, and CV/interview skills. Although based in West Mercia, Skills4Life are currently able to assist Hampshire families remotely via Zoom and telephone calls - read more here .

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