Case Study: South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust achieves record staff flu vaccination uptake with NHS Employers peer vaccination

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust - Customer Case Study

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, a customer of NHS Employers, was challenged with increasing seasonal flu vaccination rates among its operational staff. The trust recognized the importance of peer influence but faced difficulties releasing staff from their critical duties to be trained and to administer the vaccinations.

NHS Employers promoted a peer vaccinator model as the solution. The trust's implementation involved training staff on restricted duties to become vaccinators, making the vaccine more accessible without impacting operational capacity. The peer vaccinators used their existing rapport and understanding of shift patterns to effectively encourage colleagues. This strategy, supported by NHS Employers, resulted in a 66.4% vaccination uptake, the highest ever recorded for an ambulance service trust at the time.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust