Interviewer(s): Timothy Price
Interviewee(s): Participant 02

Timothy Price: So to start us off. I will read through a consent sheet with you. I'm just going to ask you to verbally say yes or no to each of these items. It's just that you understand the study and everything like that. So the first one here, confirm that I've read the participant information sheet for this study, considered the information, to ask questions, and these questions answered satisfactorily.

Participant 02: Yeah.

Timothy Price: I understand that my participation is voluntary, and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason. I also understand that I can decline to answer any questions during the interview.

Participant 02: Yes

Timothy Price: I understand that the information collected during the interview, may be other researchers from Newcastle University who are working on or assisting with with the study and give permission for these individuals have access to this information.

Participant 02: Yeah.

Timothy Price: I understand And that the information collected during the interview. I'm going to be shared with other researchers for you some future research or teaching purposes and that the data will be thoroughly anonomysied first.

Participant 02: Yeah.

Timothy Price: I understand the interview will be audio or video recorded according to my preference. And all my personal identifying details will be removed.

Participant 02: Yeah.

Timothy Price: I understand the direct quotations may be taken from what I say and used in research and publications, but I will not be identifiable from these quotations.

Participant 02: Yeah

Timothy Price: I agree to take part in the study.

Participant 02: Yeah.

Timothy Price: All right. And if you'd like to receive a copy of the research findings. Upon completion of this study. Please say yes now.

Participant 02: Yeah, please.

Timothy Price: Yeah, absolutely. So I will send those to you when the studies finished, which will be roundabout August, and I'll send it to the email address that we've corresponded on.

Participant 02: Yeah, that's great.

Timothy Price: And if you'd like to receive a hard copy of the study documents by mail, please let me know. Now to receive a hard copy of this study documents you must provide a mailing address.

Participant 02: No, that's fine email will be fine. Thank you.

Timothy Price: Yeah, absolutely. All right, and

Could you say your name for me, please and today's date and it is June Four.

Participant 02: Yeah, my name is [PARTICIPANT 02] And today's June 4 2020.

Timothy Price: Great, and I am Tim price, and as you said it is June 4 2020.

So that's all that out of the way. So now we can kind of move into the actual questions for the interview. I will say, Just right at the start, though. I understand for parents it can be tough when you kids around. So if you need to pause the interview for any reason, if there's something you need to go and do, thats no problem at all, just let me know. We can take a break

Participant 02: Thats great, I appreciate that.

Timothy Price: Okay. Um, so my first question is to help me get to know your children, your child, a little bit better. So can you tell me a little bit about your child. How old is he? What kid of things does he like to do? That kind of thing.

Participant 02: So his name is [CHILD] and hes three. and he likes to do pretty much anything that's outdoors, you like to play football, he likes to play in his sand pit, likes to play with water, fascinated with vehicles of any kind. [laughter]

And looks like cars and fire truck and all that kind of thing.

Timothy Price: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, those are all good things to be interested at three years old.

Participant 02: Yeah, unfortunately he's also got an interest in YouTube which is occupying him right now. [laughter]

Timothy Price: So that can be helpful, sometimes too.

Participant 02: It is, it is.

Timothy Price: So can you tell me what you know about the flu? just anything really like is do you think of it as a serious illness. What kind of symptoms do you expect to see with flu, that sort of thing.

Participant 02: Yeah, I expect it to be a seasonal thing really hearin the UK. and symptoms like a bad headache, maybe cough- [Participant and child speaking]

like maybe sinus kind of congestion and I understand that it can be dangerous for certain people so. People with like health condition like maybe asthma certainly sounds the elderly are, may be more susceptible to it being harmful.

Timothy Price: Yeah, so my next few questions are to help me kind of learn about what you know about the flu and how it can affect [CHILD]. And so do you worry about your child getting the flu? Is it something you would you are concerned about, you know, you mentioned it's a seasonal thing, is it a thing you worry more about at certain times of the year?

Participant 02: I'm certainly more awre of it in winter. But I think just a regular flu is something that we're all going to come into contact with with it in our daily lives. So, I mean, if I knew somebody was ill with a flu. I would avoid having to have contact with that person and but apart from that, I think, that I can't really protect him from but it's something that is going to get. And he's generally quite healthy little boy. So it's not something I worry about excessively for him because I think if you get if you get it its something that we can manage. We can care for him at home. I know what I would need to do in terms of like paracetamol and plenty of rest and hydration. And yeah, so I would say thats my level of concern about it. We've got elderly relatives that we live nearby and if [CHILD] were ill equally I wouldn't expose him to those relatives, for fear of him passing it on to them. Yeah, yeah that about sums it up really.

Timothy Price: Yeah. So it sounds like what you're saying is that you're aware that the not super worried about it. Does that sound accurate?

Participant 02: Yeah, I would say that sums it up pretty well to be honest. Yeah.

Timothy Price: Okay. And you sort of talked a little bit about symptoms earlier, but can you explain to me what you think. It's like specifically When a child gets sick with the flu?

Participant 02: Well, I would expect him to have a high temperature and probably be quite lethargic, quite tired, maybe have a cough and some sinus involvement as well like blocked nose, and I would probably expect it to last at least a week and he wasn't getting any better after about 10 days than I would probably sort of seek some medical advice at that point. But other than that, if he was alright in himself and we were managing it at home than I wouldn't be inclided to do any more than that, like taking to a doctor or anything.

Timothy Price: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Do you know anyone whose child has gotten sick with the flu or has [CHILD] gotten the flu before that you know of?

Participant 02: I don't think he's had anything that I would call the flu. Now, he's certainly had like heavy colds and stuff butn hes never been taken down for any sort of an extended period oft time. And and I don't know if any other children like his little friends particularly that have had it.

Timothy Price: Yeah. So when you want to learn more about a sickness, like the flu. Where do you go to find that information?

Participant 02: Um, I tend to check the NHS website, first and foremost, really. Because I just think there's a lot of other information out there on the internet and not all of it, you can't be sure of the accuracy of the rest of it.

If I had any fears I might, ring um, you know, speak to my GP and there is obviously a health visiting service as well. And we do have a healthy visitor but I don't really have a lot of contact with them. So my first point of call would be the GP and like the NHS website if I was concerned.

Timothy Price: Yeah, no, that's great. So, the online, the resource you would like to first would be the NHS website and then youd talk to the GP if you felt like you needed to talk to somebody talk to a person

Participant 02: Yeah, yeah. That's correct. But, again, I would only go to the GP if there was something I was particularly concerned about. It's not something I would do if I if I if I knew. He's got the flu recovering okay or seems alright I would continue to like look after him at home and only concern the GP with it if I felt like he wasn't improving.

Timothy Price: Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Thank you.

Um, so that actually sort of led me into my next question which is, have you ever talked to your child's GP or another healthcare professional about the flu and how it concerns your child?

Participant 02: No, I can't say that I have directly, because I haven't ever had the need to.

Timothy Price: Ya know that that makes sense. So my next set of questions, sort of help me learn your thoughts are on the vaccine and whether or not it's something hat you think could be helpful to [CHILD]. So what do you think the benefits are of having your child get the flu vaccine or are there any benefits to the flu vaccine?

Participant 02: Yeah, well I mean flu vaccination is, something that I believe in and it is something that I would consider for him because obviously it's an unpleasant experience while he's young. And it can be avoided, so much the better. Um, just as I think it's quite frustrating for young children when they're ill. They can't fully understand what they need to do to recover and what you need to do to help them recover so they might be reluctant to take medicine, for example, or might be reluctant to rest or to drink as much as you might need them to and just I think prevention is better than cure. And if there's a chance for the vaccine would prevent him from getting flu than that's something that I would be in favor of

Timothy Price: Yeah, absolutely. Um, what do you think the downsides are of having your child get the flu vaccine? or are there any downsides?

Participant 02: Well I would be concerned about any side effects there might be. I've had information through from our GP practice for last sort of winter seasons flu vaccinations and that included some information around that. Um, but other than that life if he had some sort of allergic reaction to it of have any kind. But I can't receive a downside to vaccination

Timothy Price: Yeah. Are there any like specific side effects that you worry about, or is it just a general like any side effects that might occur and kind of thing?

Participant 02: I mean, at the time, um, of the flu vaccination being sort of released, last year we due to go on a holiday. So I was concerned that if he had the vaccination too close to us going away it might make him poorly. Because I understand that a vaccine can't give you the flu, it wont make you ill, but I was concerned about him, if his immune system was to be busy off reacting to the vaccine in the right ways, he might come down with something else, like a secondary thing. I would say that I haven't really got any other concerns about side effects or like downsides of it.

Timothy Price: Sure. Yeah, that's great. Thank you. Um, so If you want to learn more about a vaccine, like, say you're, wondering whether [CHILD] needs one or about side effects, that kind of thing, where do you go to get that information?

Participant 02: Well, I would expect information really to be provided and when the vaccination was offered and that's been my experience with all vaccinations that he's had so far, like all of his childhood vaccinations, the routine ones. If I wasn't provided with information at the point of asking me to taking a vaccination and I would probably again look at the NHS website, maybe Or if I've been invited for vaccination for him at the practice, the GP practice, without any sort of supplementary information, then I would also request it from them.

Timothy Price: Yeah, yeah, that, that makes sense. Have you ever talked to your child's GP or a home visitor, or any other medical professional about the flu vaccine specifically?

Participant 02: No, when we got invited for the flu vaccine last year I had all the information that I needed. So I didn't have any cause to seek better information about this. I haven't spoken to anybody about it.

Timothy Price: Sure. Alright, so my next few questions questions are, I think you've, You've sort of answered it in a way, In the expression of ventures form, you mentioned that [CHILD] had not received the flu vaccine this year.

Participant 02: Yeah

Timothy Price: Yeah,so it sounds like that was because, based on what you just said, it sounds like it's because you were going away on holiday. Is that correct? You were going on holiday?.

Participant 02: Yes, I am neither. I think it was towards - just a second [speaking to child]

I got the letter towards the end of September, I think, and, and we were due to go away mid October I think. I rang the practice and said that I wanted to book him in for the vaccination and and They told me that, although they sent the letters about saying that the vaccines and were ready to be booked, they actually hadn't had them into the practice yet and to ring back in a week or so time. So I rang back in a week or so it's time and they still havent had the vaccines, and we kind of played this kind of tennis for a few weeks in the run up to the holiday and then really, we got too close to the holidays. And as I mentioned, I was concerned about having a negative effect on his health for the holiday. And then after that we were into November, and I thought, you know what, like It's winter now. By the time you got the vaccine them through the practice. And then, you know, I kind of felt like we were there without already. And it was a bit too late by that point. So it was just the circumstances around, just didnt work. [speaking to child]

Timothy Price: So, so you did try to get-

Participant 02: Try. Yeah, we did try. And when we get the invitations publishing the vaccine that I will try getting the flu vaccine in the same way as before as well.

Timothy Price: Mm hmm. Yeah, that's, that's great to know thank you. Would you say that, you know what was it important to you when you're in that letter. Was it important to you that he get the vaccine or was it something you were more like "Well, if it's being offered. I guess we might as well"? Like what kind of priority was it for you?

Participant 02: No No, it was, it was a priority. When I got the letter I rang the practice and then it was a bit frustrated by the fact that they sent the letter when they hadn't got the vaccine. So, it was a priority, you know, all of the vaccines have been a priority to us.

Timothy Price: Yeah. No, that's, that's great. I'm sorry to hear thats the way it worked out, it sounds like that was frustrating. I'm looking over my other questions, it seems like you have spoken to a lot of these things. So the process of getting the vaccine. Once you receive the letter, was not, it sounds like it was not especially easy. That, does that sound fair?

Participant 02: Yeah, um, however, you know, theres some fault on my part, I guess you could say. Because once we were back from holiday and back into working routines and stuff like that. I didn't get back on to it in the way that I should have. And the chances are that once they had the vaccines in the practice that it wouldn't, it wouldn't have been a problem. Its just that when I wanted it, it wasn't there, if that makes sense.

Timothy Price: Ya know that that certainly makes sense to me. Thats really good, thank you. So my last kind of few questions are just to help me learn about your thoughts around like vaccination as a whole.

Participant 02: Yeah

Timothy Price: So you mentioned, I think earlier that he has received the other sort of routine vaccinations, is that correct?

Participant 02: Yeah, yeah.

Timothy Price: Yeah, can you explain how you decided that he should receive those vaccinations?

Participant 02: Um, I just think that, the vaccinations, they're important. I think the diseases they protect against whilst they're you know, really very low in this country, if not, you know, kind of really apparent at all, pockets of them do occur. And when they do theyre dangerous. And and the vaccinations have been, you know, running for a long while now and and I think that um you know they're tried and tested and that they're important. And I know some people think, "well everybody else's vaccinated so much so my child is vaccinated kind of by proxy" I'm not, I'm not a believer in that. And so I thought it was important that he received all of them. I myself am a practitioner, Imteacher in and working with children with autism. I know that theres a lot around the MMR vaccination and links with that, that still prevail, even though that has been disproven. And so I do believe that the vaccinations are important and are there for a reason and we were invited for them. He had them.

Timothy Price: There you go. Thank you. Um, have you personally had the flu vaccine this year?

Participant 02: I haven't had it this year. And again, that was an issue with supply. I went for one. Being kind of classed as a keyworker from working with a vulnerable people I can claim the cost of a flu vaccination through my employer. So it wouldn't be something that I'd pay for. But the pharmacies locally that I went to for flu vaccination were only providing ones for vulnerable categories. So the over 65 and those who get them for free. And so I had a problem getting one for myself, so I didn't get one this year. It wasn't for the want of trying, yeah.

Timothy Price: Is it, is it a thing that you've done in past years, or-

Participant 02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Timothy Price: So that's actually the last of my questions. So is there, I like to close on, Is there anything else about the flu or the flu vaccination, or just vaccination in general. Really, anything. I didn't ask about that you'd like to speak to?

Participant 02: Ah no, no I don't think there is that I think. But I mean, I guess I can get back to you by email if I think of anything else, I think, important.