Flu vaccination: increasing uptake

Education of health and social care staff and support workers – there are national minimum standards for these groups (see national minimum standards and core curriculum for immunisation training for registered healthcare practitioners, the Royal College of Nursing's immunisation knowledge and skills competence assessment tool, and Public Health England's immunisation training of healthcare support workers: national minimum standards and core curriculum). Also see Health Education England's flu immunisation eLearning programme and Public Health England's national flu programme training slide set. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's seasonal influenza hub has information and educational resources for members. These resources could be used in implementing this guideline.

Support from national bodies, professional groups and royal colleges – organisations such as the British Medical Association (BMA), Royal College of Nursing and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society encourage their members and others to accept the flu vaccination. This includes advice that the BMA provides for occupational health providers. See also: the General Medical Council's guidance on good medical practice, the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code, advice from the General Pharmaceutical Council, the Health and Care Professions Council's standards of conduct and the Royal College of Nursing's guidance and resources on flu vaccination. This support and drive to increase flu vaccination could provide a useful lever for action in implementing this guideline.

Existing national targets – there are a number of national targets including public health outcomes frameworks (3.03, 4.03, 4.07, 4.08) relating to population flu vaccination uptake. These targets could be used to establish the case when seeking to commission, develop and implement interventions recommended in this guideline.

Existing incentive-based payment mechanisms to organisations to increase uptake – there are a number of incentives in primary and secondary care to increase flu vaccination, including Quality and Outcomes Framework, or QOF (secondary prevention of coronary heart disease [CHD007]; diabetes mellitus [DM018]; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD007]; and stroke and transient ischaemic attack [STIA009]) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation or CQUIN (improving the uptake of flu vaccinations for front-line clinical staff [CQUIN 1c]). Framing proposals to increase flu vaccination in terms of the achievement of indicator criteria, as well as stating the impact on mortality and morbidity, may positively influence development and implementation of interventions recommended in this guideline.

Existing examples of best practice guidance for increasing flu vaccination uptake – GPs have Flu vaccine for children: best practice guide for GPs and for healthcare workers, NHS Employers have good practice guides and case studies from former flu fighter award winners as well as planning, communications and reviewing campaign guides.

Existing resources to support targeting, tailoring and information provision for eligible groups, including template letters, posters and Easy Read leaflets, can be found at the Stay Well This Winter campaign, and in the government's annual flu letter.