NHS leaders in Gloucestershire are encouraging parents to take their eligible 12 to 15 year old children to one of several GP-led Primary Care Network (PCN) sites who will be providing additional vaccination drop-in services for young people during half term week.

Anyone aged 12 to 15, accompanied by a parent or guardian, will be able to drop-in and get a single dose of the Pfizer vaccination at the old Cinderford Health Centre without an appointment. Sessions will be held on Thursday (October 28) from 1.40pm to 5.30pm, Friday (8.45am-12,30pm, 1.40pm-5.30pm) and Saturday (8.45am-12,30pm, 1.40pm-5.30pm).

The move is an expansion of the existing school-based programme, providing parents with an extra option, as the biggest and fastest vaccination programme in NHS history continues to protect people against the virus.

Children attending vaccination sites must be accompanied by parents or guardians to be vaccinated outside of school hours and consent will be sought on the day. Parents and young people are being asked to read the patient information in advance of arriving for their appointment which can be found at: bit.ly/12-15dropin

Children should not attend the drop-in service if they have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had a positive Lateral Flow or PCR test within the last four weeks.

Dr Andy Seymour, Clinical Chair at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: "The vaccine rollout to the 12-15-year-old age group is in the early stages and is progressing as planned in Gloucestershire.

"We are really pleased to be able to offer this additional service, building on the work of the school-aged vaccination team and keeping the momentum of the vaccine rollout going whilst schools are closed for half term. We know that many 12 to 15-year olds are keen to get their vaccination as soon as possible; uptake so far has been good and the feedback from schools and young people who have been visited has been very positive.

"As we head into the winter months, it is really important that young people get their vaccine as soon as possible to help protect themselves and their families. Vaccines are safe, will protect children from COVID-19 and help prevent further disruption to education, so I would urge parents to read through the patient information and talk to their children about whether to take up this offer.

"We understand that many parents and young people will have questions about the vaccine, and we will have doctors and other staff on hand to provide reassurance and answer any questions they may have."

Helen Goodey, Director of Primary Care and Locality Development at NHS Gloucestershire CCG said: "It is excellent that parents or guardians will have another option to access a COVID-19 vaccination for their children - making getting a jab even easier during the school holidays and offering greater flexibility to families.

"Our vaccination teams are working tirelessly to provide seasonal vaccinations - be that COVID-19 or flu - to everyone who is eligible for one or both vaccines and ensure people are protected from illness this winter. We will continue to look at how we can rollout vaccinations to this age group at pace in the coming weeks, with the aim of offering all young people the vaccine by the end of November."

John Trevains, Director of Nursing, Therapies and Quality at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The logistics of offering the vaccine to this number of 12 to 15-year olds (27,000) is complex and we’re pleased to be able to work alongside PCN vaccination sites to continue the programme during the school holidays.

"We want to reassure parents, guardians and young people that they will still be able to access a vaccination in a school setting if they’d prefer; our vaccination teams are working closely with education colleagues to ensure the rollout happens as quickly and safely as possible.  If children have already been invited through their school, then they do not need to do anything."

As these are drop-ins and no appointment is needed, people may experience queues on the day. Please bring a face mask with you, unless you’re exempt, as well as your NHS number if you have it.

Details of any drop-ins open to people over the age of 16 will be advertised on the Gloucestershire NHS COVID-19 portal.