HEALTH chiefs launched an inquiry after five-year-old Rose White was given a meningitis vaccination at school against her mother's wishes.

Single parent Aimi White, of Westwells, Neston, was so worried about possible side effects from the new vaccine she decided to tick the no box when a form came home from Neston School.

But on September 11 Miss White was horrified to find Rose had been given the vaccination .

"Rose said she had been a really good girl when she had her vaccination to stop her getting ill," she said.

"I went to speak to the headteacher Linda Davies and her exact words were 'it's nothing to do with us.' She said the school was just the place where the vaccination took place."

Margaret Payne, a school nurse from Corsham Clinic, who administered the injection, visited Miss White and they sent off for the original consent form, which had been sent to the Wiltshire and Swindon Health Care NHS Trust.

Miss White, 30, has always been cautious about vaccinations. Rose has been immunised against polio, diptheria and tetanus but Miss White refused to let her have the Hib, Meningitis and MMR injections.

"I just don't like them. I'm worried about the side effects," she said.

She said she thought the risk of infection was small because most other people had their children vaccinated.

She said her daughter suffered no ill effects from the vaccine but she was so upset the injection had taken place she contacted a solicitor and the police.

Solicitor Marcus Everett, of Wood and Awdry, suggested they write a letter of complaint to the school's board of governors and the healthcare trust.

"I received a reply from the governors saying they were looking into the matter," said Mrs White.

On October 9 Phil Day, the trust's general manager, sent a letter offering his sincere apologies for the mistake.

Anne-Marie Carlen, speaking for the trust, said: "We are very sorry about this incident, which our investigation shows was the result of an error. We will be putting steps in place to prevent a similar incident in the future."

She said Mr Day had offered to meet Miss White to discuss the matter.

The trust has carried out 28,000 Meningitis C immunisations in West Wiltshire since the programme began.

Ms Carlen said there had been 180 fewer deaths in England and Wales this year as a result of the immunisation campaign. But Miss White is not happy with the apology. "I am so annoyed about it," she said.

"My daughter was in the care of the school. The form was in front of the nurse. Now Rose will be walking about with the vaccine inside her for the rest of her life."

Chief Inspector Matthew Pullen, at Chippenham Police Station, said: "The police have been informed of this incident and initial inquiries undertaken to establish the facts.

"Under such circumstances a protocol exists as to who the lead authority should be in terms of any investigation that should be undertaken.

"In this case it is considered appropriate that the health authority inquires into the circumstances in the first instance. Any matters of a criminal nature which are revealed could then be referred back to the police for criminal inquiry."

Neston School did not wish to comment.