Lothian Buses teams up with NHS Lothian to provide mobile summer vaccination hub for teenagers
NHS Lothian has joined forces with Lothian Buses to provide a mobile vaccination hub delivering teenage booster jabs for meningitis, polio, diphtheria and tetanus to S4-S6 pupils across Edinburgh.
The initiative will see a Lothian Buses Airlink bus being converted into a mobile clinic to support the campaign throughout the summer months.
Clinics will also be running in various schools throughout the summer holidays following NHS Lothian working with a number of council education staff.
The teenage vaccination programme is usually run in schools but with the coronavirus pandemic causing the majority to close for much of 2020 and 2021, the service was interrupted.
The summer clinics are designed to ensure that all school leavers have access to the important meningitis ACWY vaccination and diphtheria, tetanus and polio boosters before they transition from secondary school to higher education or employment.
Dona Milne, Director of Public Health, NHS Lothian said: “We are delighted to launch this new initiative, in partnership with Lothian Buses.
"Our school vaccination programme is critically important to the health and wellbeing of children and young people, by preventing the risk of transmission and illness from serious conditions like polio and meningitis.
“I would like to thank all of the NHS Lothian teams, Lothian Buses and the council education teams for their hard work and commitment to making this initiative happen.”
The booster bus will be located at Fort Kinnaird Retail Park on July 22, and Napier University, Sighthill campus on July 15 and 19.
It already successfully delivered one day of vaccinations at Fort Kinnaird on July 8.
Sarah Boyd, Operations Director, Lothian Buses said: “We are delighted to support NHS Lothian with this special summer vaccination programme for S4-S6 pupils.
"Lothian Buses are fully committed to the local communities we serve and whilst this is a new pilot, it is one that we are really excited to be involved with.”
Young people who are eligible for the boosters have been contacted to arrange an appointment.
Younger pupils will be offered their booster jabs in school next year as part of the usual in-school Teenage Booster Programme.