The English Seasonal Flu Immunization Programme for Poultry Workers 2007: a challenging task.

BACKGROUND: English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) immunized the poultry worker population with the seasonal influenza vaccine in the 2007 winter season. METHODS: In Warwickshire, the provision of vaccinations progressed in two phases: four weekday evening clinics were offered initially, then one weekend clinic was offered, plus on-site vaccination at three farms and vaccination in general practice. RESULTS: There were 253 registered premises in Warwickshire. Eighty-eight persons were vaccinated in five clinics; 131 persons were immunized on-site. Nobody attended their general practice for vaccination; the overall uptake rate was 32%, far exceeding the expected 20%. CONCLUSION: On-site vaccination during working hours was by far the most effective method of vaccinating this population; community clinics were not cost-effective, nor were general practices apparently accessed. The number of workers recorded in the contact list of registered poultry premises provided by DEFRA/DH has been shown to be unreliable; this has implications for the future implementation and evaluation of this programme. Immigrant workers within the poultry worker population make communication about the benefits of vaccination and access to primary care an issue, both factors which impact on uptake. Strategies for engaging smaller farms, immigrant and non-registered workers need to be developed.

Computer technology and the childhood immunization programme: an investigation of low uptake rates in Coventry Primary Care Trust.

BACKGROUND: The childhood vaccination programme in Coventry Primary Care Trust (PCT) has resulted in consistently low uptake rates for a number of years. After an evaluation of operational processes, an examination of the data systems was performed. METHODS: The under-reporting of vaccinations performed and methodology issues were investigated using data collected by the Child Health Information Department (CHID) and the Finance Department. RESULTS: Data held by the Finance Department result in an uptake rate of between 0.79 and 1.92% higher than those held by the CHID. Locally, the Southwest Child Health (SWIFT) system, the programme used to calculate uptake rates by many of the PCTs across the country, excludes those children residing outside the boundary but registered within it. Coventry PCT's Cover of Vaccination Evaluated Rapidly (COVER) statistics are based on a subgroup of the responsible population. CONCLUSIONS: The computer technology currently utilized by the NHS provides inaccurate statistics for the COVER programme. Systematic under-reporting to the CHID results in moderately lowered uptake rates. A programming anomaly in the SWIFT system has resulted in the collection of data based on a subgroup of the responsible population. This undermines the validity of the statistics collected and renders comparability of data between different PCTs, particularly those using different systems, difficult.