Agenda item

To receive a presentation from representatives of the North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group and the Enfield Council Public Health Team (The Integrated Care Partnership)

Enfield Officers and NHS Representatives gave a presentation which highlighted the learning gained from the flu vaccine immunisation programme which is being be applied to the covid vaccine roll-out.

1)    A summary of the flu vaccination eligibility criteria was provided, along with the level of take-up as at 14 January.

2)    A number of actions have been taken to increase the flu immunisation uptake, including engaging with the lowest performing GP surgeries and engaging with 4 mosques to support uptake in the Muslim community.

3)    The partnership working between the NHS, Enfield Council and the voluntary sector has helped to boost the uptake levels.

4)    A social media campaign was developed to educate and encourage residents to have the flu vaccination.

5)    The challenges and success were discussed, including providing vaccine hesitancy training to doctors and nurses and helping to challenge vaccine misconceptions.

6)    Education sessions with parents and children have been established via webinars.

7)    Targeting hard to reach groups has been a challenge, homeless, deprived community, Muslim community and Central and Eastern European communities.

8)    Lockdown has resulted in a reluctant of some residents to visit surgeries.

9)    ‘Healthy Intent’ softwear has identified where there is suspicion in certain communities, allowing a more targeted approach to encouraging immunisation.

10)In response to a question, it was confirmed that the approach to encouragement must be multifaceted as the reasons for not being immunised are varied. As an example of reluctance, the Eastern European community would only visit a doctor when unwell, rather than considering health prevention services, such as immunisation.

11)GP practices in Enfield are being used as vaccination centres for covid. All are performing well, with Carlton House having administered the highest number of vaccines to date. The Dugdale Centre will also become a vaccination centre in February.

12)Both the Pfizer and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are available in Enfield.

13)The order of supply to various cohorts was detailed, including the programme to cover care homes.

14)Community pharmacies are now beginning to provide a vaccination service. They must be able to provide 1,000 vaccines per week, opening 7 days per week, 8.00am-8.00pm.

15)It was noted that additional venues such as community pharmacies are welcome as long as they are properly regulated.

16)All care home residents and staff have been vaccinated, ahead of the deadline. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been more appropriate to use in care homes as it has no specific storage requirements.

17)The task has involved managing logistics of vaccine delivery, education of staff, coordination of teams on the ground and data collection.

18)BEH MHT have provided support to the vaccination process by utilising the CHAT Team and mental health nurses. In addition, MHT clinics have been made available for care home staff to obtain a vaccination. Supported living and housebound residents have also been vaccinated.

19)The collaborative work was emphasised, involving Medicus, one of the primary care networks in Enfield, the Council, Mental Health Trust and care homes.

20)There was an issue with staff in care homes relating to mis-information. There was reluctance to have a vaccination by some staff, as they had concerns relating to fertility, genetics and microchipping. Health representatives took the time to discuss these concerns with staff and asked that the appropriate messages were taken back and shared with their respective communities.

Members of the Scrutiny Panel were then asked for questions and comments.

21)In response to a question on engaging with the African community and the use of zoom church meetings, it was confirmed that work is being undertaken with faith leaders and Cllr Anolue will provide health partners with additional contact details.

22)A question was asked relating to the type and availability of the various vaccines. It was noted that Enfield take all vaccines given, however, as the Pfizer vaccine expires within 3.5 days, supplies of this are used first to avoid wastage. Other types of vaccine are more stable and suitable for storing.

23)The Pfizer vaccine provides 90% protection following the first dose. This increases to 95% after the second dose, however, the period of protection is also increased following the second vaccination.

24)In response to a question, it was confirmed that with adequate supplies of vaccine provided, if is likely that the top 4 cohorts will be vaccinated in the required time period.

25)It was confirmed that the current guidance is not to mix and match vaccines between the first dose and the second dose.

26)In October of this year, the flu vaccination programme will commence once more, initially targeted at the over 65’s. By that time, this age group would have received their second covid vaccination and would not be compromised by having the flu immunisation.

Cllr Smith praised the tremendous efforts of the NHS and noted the success of the vaccination programme in Enfield.