Bid to maximise vaccine uptake

A health chief has admitted that vaccinations can be “really hard for the public to grasp” and said it’s imperative that key messages are delivered.

How NHS Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin is preparing for the winter was presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board on Thursday (September 18).

Among it was the Vaccination Improvement Plan and what bosses are doing to maximise uptake. This includes the ‘think vaccination’ campaign to support people to make informed decisions about vaccination.

This will be done by “providing clear, consistent and accessible information, reinforcing confidence, and signposting to servies at the point of need”.

The strategic focus areas are maximising the uptake of seasonal vaccinations such as flu, the Covid booster, and measles, mumps and rubella, and addressing barriers through targeted communications and engagement.

Ensuring eligible people have a vaccine to tackle respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is also being focused on.

However, Vanessa Whatley, chief nursing officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said that because there have been a lot of new vaccinations, not just among children but also the elderly, it is “really hard” for the public to grasp.

“I think we’ve all got a role in really making sure that we help people to find out which vaccines are needed, and help with that vaccine hesitancy as well,” she said.

“We are really fortunate in Shropshire that we have pretty decent vaccination rates in most areas, but there’s always room for improvement, partcularly in those maternal vaccinations where people might naturally be more hesitant.”