Parents and carers of young people in school year 9 are being reminded to provide their consent decision to Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust’s school aged immunisation service for two routine teenage vaccinations that protect against several serious illnesses.

The service will be visiting secondary schools across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland between now and Friday 12 June to offer young people aged 13-14 -years-old the chance to boost their protection with the 3-in-1 teenage booster and the meningitis ACWY vaccines. Young people over the age of 14, in older year groups, and who still need the immunisations will also have the chance to be vaccinated.

The 3-in-1 teenage booster (also known as the tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccine) tops up the protection from vaccines most young people had when they were babies and before starting school. Having the full five doses of tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccines will allow the young person to build up and keep their immunity against the diseases into adulthood.

The meningitis ACWY vaccine protects against meningococcal bacteria types A, C, W and Y that can cause meningitis, an inflammation of the lining of the brain and septicaemia (also known as blood poisoning).

The vaccines are part of the national NHS immunisation programme of recommended vaccinations. Both immunisations are given as a quick injection into the upper arm by the service’s trained and friendly nurses.

Marie Butterworth, clinical lead for the school aged immunisation service, said: “Both vaccines are free, safe and offer effective long-lasting protection. It’s important to have these vaccinations as the diseases can be very dangerous if contracted, and in some cases can be life-threatening.

“We know that some young people might feel a bit nervous about having an injection. We want to reassure them that the vaccinations are very quick. All our immunisation nurses are kind and experienced and there are things they can do to support young people.”

To help young people to understand more about they vaccinations, they are able to watch the service’s gaming-themed animation on YouTube, called: What you need to know about the 3-in-1 teenage booster and MenACWY vaccinations .

Marie added: “The animation helps young people to easily understand how the vaccines help to create antibodies to protect them and make sure it’s ‘game over’ for the diseases that cause these serious illnesses.

“We’d always recommend that parents and carers use the information we provide to have a conversation with their child about the vaccinations on offer, before filling out the consent decision form. That way you can make sure everyone is happy and knows what to expect.”

Parents and carers will be sent detailed information about the vaccine from their child’s school and will be texted and emailed to with a link to fill out an online consent decision form.

If parents or carers have any questions, they can contact the school aged immunisation service on 0300 3000 007 or e-mail lpt.sais@nhs.net.

More information for parents and carers about the vaccinations, including video explainers and needle-phobia tips, can be found on the LPT 3-in-1 teenage booster and Men ACWY vaccination information page on the LPT website by going to: https://lptnhs.com/teenagebooster-MenACWY-info . Information about the vaccines for young people can be found by visiting the Health for Teens website.