Targeted flu vaccination outreach for at-risk communities

Targeted flu vaccination outreach for at-risk communities

In response to pressures across the BNSSG healthcare system, and the predicted flu surge, the GPCB’s urgent care programme successfully secured an additional £20,000 of funding for PCNs to increase flu vaccination uptake among their at-risk communities and patients.

The funding was to support the delivery of additional, more focussed outreach work in those groups.

Ruth Thomas, GPCB urgent care programme lead, said: “Practices used their own vaccination data and knowledge of their local communities to identify which patient groups to target with their additional outreach work. All the identified patients had previously been invited for vaccination via the more standard methods, so practices had to use alternative ways to encourage take up.”

Approaches varied by practice. Some targeted patients with diabetes, respiratory conditions, and chronic heart disease, while others prioritised outreach to asylum seekers, non-English speakers, and ethnic minority groups with a lower uptake. Some practices also targeted younger age groups, who are typically less likely to get vaccinated.

To boost take-up, practices used a combination of phone call reminders, opportunistic vaccinations, and social media and website updates. Practices also engaged with local community groups online to help spread the message, held ad hoc vaccination clinics and drop-in sessions – some in community centres – and offered weekend and evening appointments. Patients were also reminded they could get vaccinated at their local pharmacy.

Ruth added: “We had to move quickly to secure the funding, and practices had to move quickly to put the additional outreach work into action. The whole project has been a great example of how we can all adapt and respond to support system pressures – especially at a time when PCNs were already busy managing winter demands and providing additional ARI slots too.”

The urgent care programme will now evaluate the initiative, looking at the number of vaccines delivered, what worked well, what could be improved, and any successful strategies practices can use in their future planning.

If you’d like to find out more about the flu outreach initiative please contact ruth.thomas@onecare.org.uk


Targeted flu vaccination outreach for at-risk communities

Targeted flu vaccination outreach for at-risk communities


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