02/11/2018 11:17:00
A recent study by Stead et al (2018) has found that trusts who incorporated the seven elements for a successful flu campaign resource, developed by NHS Employers, in their local flu campaign achieved a higher flu vaccination uptake compared to trusts who did not.
The study analysed flu vaccination uptake rates in healthcare workers and flu campaigns across 87 NHS trusts in England during the 2016/17 flu season. Trusts were split into categories of high uptake trusts and low uptake trusts and assessed against a variety of factors in their flu campaigns.
In general, high uptake trusts involved a broader range of staff in their campaign, had support from all levels of the organisation including senior management, used a greater range of strategies for communication, incentivised and rewarded staff for getting the vaccination, and had increased accessibility for hard to reach staff groups.
High uptake trusts were also more likely to set higher uptake targets and provide real-time feedback on uptake.
The study recommends that lower uptake trusts could improve their uptake by implementing examples of best practice from higher uptake trusts. Trusts looking to improve their flu vaccination uptake, can find several case studies on our good practice webpage.
Read the full study here.