Details of a pilot project to vaccinate school children across Forth Valley at weekends and after school, have been published in the British Journal of School Nursing. The article focused on Falkirk schools and was written by members of the Falkirk school nursing team, locum doctor Calum Robertson and Dr Kathleen Stoddart from the University of Stirling.
The model was designed to minimise disruption to the school curriculum and provide a more family-friendly service. Most sessions took place in schools on a Sunday although one small rural school held their immunisation session alongside a parents evening which led to a 76 per cent uptake against an average of 64.5 per cent.
Although many families reported immunisation out-of-hours suited them it did not work for everyone, particularly children with autism who attended mainstream schools within the defined pilot area. Different models and approaches have been piloted across Scotland and these will continue to be reviewed and adapted to meet the needs of children and their families.
