We were engaged by Greater Manchester Partnership to help achieve an overall uptake in vaccination rates for housebound individuals in the 70+ age groups who required delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination at home. Our team used the Immunisation Management Service Recall Centre data to enable more homebound individuals to receive a vaccination and to exceed the 85% national vaccine uptake target.
Objective
The NHS Immunisation Management Service (IMS) supported the enhanced winter flu and the national COVID-19 vaccination programmes by optimising uptake of these vaccinations amongst eligible individuals, particularly amongst those in the most vulnerable groups.
Greater Manchester Partnership wanted help to achieve an overall uptake of greater than 90% in age groups 70+ of housebound individuals who required delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination at home. Our IMS Regional Improving Immunisation Uptake Support Team were approached by the Greater Manchester COVID-19 vaccination programme lead to ask if the IMS Recall Centre data could be used to improve uptake. This was particularly for those who may need extra support in having their COVID-19 jab, in preparation for the easing of lockdown restrictions.
What we did
The official request was to provide appropriate Patient Identifiable Data (PID) for those unvaccinated individuals who had given the verbal response to the recall centre of ‘waiting to have the vaccination at home’.
The IMS system support team used operational data to provide regular and constantly updated analysis of vaccination uptake by variables such as age, deprivation, ethnicity, postcode and to identify significant uptake outliers.
They identified a total of 813 eligible individuals across Greater Manchester with no recorded COVID-19 vaccination, who had verbally identified themselves to the IMS Recall Centre as waiting to be home vaccinated.
Each ICB had at least 50 such individuals and 94% of the individuals were aged 65 or over. Reports were produced that included patient demographics, GP practice information and contact details ensuring a smooth process of confirmation. The ICBs validated the information and liaised with local services to ensure home delivery of the vaccine.
Activity
Immunisation management service
Improving immunisation uptake service
Outcome
Of the 813 individuals identified, 394 (48%) individuals across all ten ICBs received a COVID-19 vaccination first dose within two weeks of the reports being sent. As a result, four of the ten ICBs surpassed 90% uptake and two ICBs in significantly deprived areas still managed to achieve 85% vaccination uptake.
This initiative to enable more homebound citizens to receive a vaccination was praised at the North West vaccine delivery meetings for its effectiveness in reaching diverse communities.
