COVID vaccinations started to be rolled out in December 2020 across the United Kingdom.
Initially the most vulnerable were offered vaccination, starting with all residents in care homes, over 80, front line healthcare workers, individuals over 75, then over 70 or clinically extremely vulnerable. In April 2021 additional age groups were offered a vaccination and then from June 2021 all those over 18 were eligible.
In South East London (SEL) the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), overseen by ‘Our Healthier South East London’ working with the Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) identified a need to continue to engage the local community in the vaccination programme to increase uptake. Across SEL in summer 2021 there were pockets of areas that had a high prevalence of COVID positive patients but also had low uptake of vaccination. Some of the target areas have high levels of ethnic minorities, who are known to be more vaccine hesitant.
There are known reasons for vaccine hesitancy, and the COVID champion scheme wanted to address some of the hesitance by open conversations and supporting individuals to be signposted to their local vaccination centre or to support booking of an appointment using the national booking system. Addressing areas of concern and lack of understanding, along with increasing awareness and answering questions to address hesitance was seen as a positive approach.
Community Pharmacies are uniquely placed to support an increase in vaccination coverage through a “every contact counts” approach. There are 324 community pharmacies in SEL with 89% of the population living within 20 minutes of a community pharmacy. Community pharmacy in South London has a wide network of health champions, who can have conversations with patients to support health outcomes.
In addition to community pharmacies, virtual community wellness outreach was completed through the LPC to local community groups to discuss how to self-care, improve wellness, explain the pharmacist role in helping people look after their own health, and schemes that pharmacists offer including vaccinations.
The COVID Champion scheme was launched in July 2021 and paused in 31 March 2022. The COVID champion scheme significantly increased vaccination coverage reducing health inequalities across SEL by capitalising on the position of community pharmacy.
The principles of the scheme involved brief interventions, opportunistically identifying patients and residents who had not had their vaccine, and then discuss the vaccination programme and, with consent, book the patient for a vaccination or signpost them to their local walk-in centre.
