The Immunisation Coordination team pictured above at our recent Inspire Awards (staff recognition) event. From left to right: Alam Khan; Mo Kamali; Sharon Sridhara.
Did you know immunisations are one of the most effective interventions in the world against infectious diseases, responsible for saving countless lives every year?
We are proud to spotlight our Immunisation coordination team whose timely work contributes to the safety of our local residents in Tower Hamlets. Created in August 2022, the team’s purpose is to support GP practices with immunisations, They also work alongside the local authority, community advocacy services and the local NHS on immunisation and to improve patient care in Tower Hamlets.
The immunisation coordination team meets with practices monthly to go through EMIS (a healthcare clinical provider delivering software systems and services to the primary, community and secondary care sectors) searches, practice processes and data performances. So far 25 out of the 31 practices have asked for support.
Sharon Sridhara, All Age Immunisation and Population Screening Coordinator expands on the team’s strategic goals: “As a team, we are passionate about supporting practices with increasing vaccination numbers in line with national targets. We are working alongside GPs to embed sustainable systems - supporting training needs, sharing best practices, and co-designing a ‘gold standard’ recall system. Our team is also committed to addressing vaccine inequalities, by working with a range of community stakeholders and playing a key role in patient engagement.”
Adult immunisations success
For adult immunisations the team prioritises the following vaccines: Flu, Shingles, Pneumococcal and Pertussis; the team also focuses on Cervical Cancer Screening.
One of their successful interventions has been implementing a Shingles vaccination campaign in practices. By creating up-to-date EMIS searches, evaluating performance and setting up clear processes for recall, they have seen a 10% increase in the uptake of Shingles in one practice.
Children immunisations reminder
It’s important for GPs to monitor immunisation records. Childhood Immunisation Coordinator Alam Khan advises practices to use: “The Active Patient Link (APL) toolkit once a week to see who needs a vaccine. An example of this is ensuring all new born babies are registered and have their first appointment booked with a GP, and then are booked for follow-up vaccines until the age of 5.”
Continued success through open collaboration
The team has had great success by implementing and working together with the practices. The results have shown an increase on a borough level compared to previous years.
On the successful collaboration among many stakeholders, Mo Kamali adds: “Thank you for the cooperation of all the nurses and practice managers that have met with us, enabling us to collectively work together to increase immunisation and screening uptake in Tower Hamlets.”
