Consult school nurses on HPV jab

Delegates at last week's School Nurse Annual Conference were told that the Department of Health (DH) supports providing the immunisations against the human papilloma virus (HPV), which will be given from next September, in schools.

Barbara Young, nurse adviser for the children and young people's public health programme at the DH, said: "The recommendation is it is school based, but there is no recommendation that school nurses deliver the immunisation so it is up to primary care trusts to identify who is the best team to do this."

But Ros Godson, professional officer for school-aged children and public health at the union Unite, said school nurse co-ordinators need to be involved in these decisions.

Delegates at the conference raised concerns about how to act if a parent does not consent to the vaccine, but the child is willing to have it. Young said it would be up to trusts to decide what to do in this situation.

She added the DH is compiling guidance on the vaccine.