Staff Influenza vaccinations

The request was successful.

Dear East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

I am interested in how ambulance services are helping their staff
to receive influenza immunisations, which is an important aspect
for both staff and patient wellbeing.

I looked at the following PHE document and have the following
questions:
Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake amongst frontline healthcare
workers (HCWs) in England
February survey 2014/15
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/sy...

1) Are the figures in the PHE report for your Ambulance Service and
shown below correct?

PHE REPORT
% Vaccine Uptake, Cumulative To
Feb 15 Jan 14 Difference
North West Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 56.1 41.2 14.9
South East Coast Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 55.8 48.6 7.2
East Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 49.3 41.8 7.5
Yorkshire Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 47.4 47.1 0.3
London Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 44.0 47.0 -3.0
South Western Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 44.0 66.4 -22.4
East Of England Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 41.6 26.7 14.9
South Central Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 37.7 38.5 -0.8
Neambulance Service Nhs Foundation Trust 34.6 29.9 4.7
West Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 34.4 31.3 3.1

2) The number of flu doses given increased by 311 from 2013/14 to
2014/15, and the % vaccinated increased from 42% to 49%, which is
one of the higher rates amongst services.
I also saw that the Trust won a Flu Busters award.

Do you have a report or information to show how the service was
able to improve its uptake in 2014/15?

The number of eligible staff increased by 215 from 2013/14 to 2014/15, does this represent additional staff employed between the years, or where was this increase in staff?

Involved In Patient Care
February 2015 January 2014 Difference
North West Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 3432 4480 -1048
South East Coast Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 2916 2888 28
East Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 2929 2714 215
Yorkshire Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 3060 3204 -144
London Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 2839 2995 -156
South Western Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 3121 2508 613
East Of England Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 4107 3081 1026
South Central Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 2079 2001 78
North East Ambulance Service Nhs Foundation Trust 2080 2064 16
West Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 3967 2852 1115

Flu Doses Given
February 2015 January 2014 Difference
North West Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1927 1847 80
South East Coast Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1626 1405 221
East Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1445 1134 311
Yorkshire Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1451 1510 -59
London Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1249 1407 -158
South Western Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1374 1665 -291
East Of England Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1709 824 885
South Central Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 784 770 14
North East Ambulance Service Nhs Foundation Trust 720 617 103
West Midlands Ambulance Service Nhs Trust 1366 893 473

3) The average % vaccine uptake for ambulance services is
substantially lower than for Hospitals. Are there reasons for
this, what is the EM Ambulance Service planning to do for the 2015/16
winter vaccine uptake, and does it have a target for 2015/16?

Yours faithfully,

Hugh Kembler

Williams Matthew, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

4 Attachments

Ref: FOI/15/046

 

18 May 2015

 

Dear Mr Kembler

 

Thank you for your e-mail dated 17 May 2015 requesting information about
Influenza Vaccinations amongst EMAS Staff.

 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and will be answered within 20 working days.

 

If you have any queries about this request please do not hesitate to
contact me. 

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Matthew Williams

 

[1]Description: hello my name is [3]Description: Description:    
Description: Description:
Matthew Williams cid:image001.png@01CF367A.50F55880
Records Manager
 
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
1 Horizon Place                               
Mellors Way
Nottingham  
NG8 6PY
Telephone: 0115 8845125
 
[mobile number]
[2]Description: Description: Description:
Description: Email:
cid:image002.png@01CF367A.50F55880@EMASNHSTRUST [4][email address]

[5]www.emas.nhs.uk

 

 

[6]cid:image003.png@01D0160F.78E8AF20

 

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Williams Matthew, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

7 Attachments

Ref: FOI/15/046

 

8 June 2015

 

Dear Mr Kembler

 

We are writing further to your e-mail dated 17 May 2015 requesting
information about Influenza Vaccinations amongst EMAS Staff.

 

The questions you raised along with their answers can be found below:

 

1)     Are the figures in the PHE report for your Ambulance Service and
shown below correct?

 

PHE REPORT

% Vaccine Uptake, Cumulative to Feb 15 Jan 14 Difference:

·         North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 56.1 41.2 14.9

·         South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 55.8
48.6 7.2

·         East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 49.3 41.8 7.5

·         Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 47.4 47.1 0.3

·         London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 44.0 47.0 -3.0

·         South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 44.0 66.4
-22.4

·         East Of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust 41.6 26.7 14.9

·         South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 37.7 38.5
-0.8

·         North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 34.6 29.9 4.7

·         West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 34.4 31.3
3.1

 

We can confirm that the nationally reported figures are correct, and that
we did close the campaign with 1445 member of staff vaccinated (which is
49.3% of our total workforce).  53 Paramedics and nurses were trained in
administering the flu vaccination for the 2014/15 Flu Campaign.  We also
used our Occupational Health team to deliver some clinics across the
Trust.   

 

2)     The number of flu doses given increased by 311 from 2013/14 to 
2014/15, and the % vaccinated increased from 42% to 49%, which is  one of
the higher rates amongst services.  I also saw that the Trust won a Flu
Busters award.  Do you have a report or information to show how the
service was able to improve its uptake in 2014/15?  The number of eligible
staff increased by 215 from 2013/14 to 2014/15, does this represent
additional staff employed between the years, or where was this increase in
staff?

 

Involved In Patient Care February 2015 January 2014 Difference

·         North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 3432 4480 -1048

·         South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 2916
2888 28

·         East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 2929 2714 215

·         Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 3060 3204 -144

·         London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 2839 2995 -156

·         South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 3121 2508
613

·         East Of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust 4107 3081 1026

·         South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 2079 2001
78

·         North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 2080 2064 16

·         West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 3967 2852
1115

 

Flu Doses Given February 2015 January 2014 Difference

·         North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1927 1847 80

·         South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 1626
1405 221

·         East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1445 1134 311

·         Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1451 1510 -59

·         London Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1249 1407 -158

·         South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 1374 1665
-291

·         East Of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1709 824 885

·         South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 784 770 14

·         North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 720 617 103

·         West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust 1366 893
473

 

These figures were increased through having a more concentrated campaign
than compared to previous years – with there being more vaccinators,
clinics, promotion, interesting and fun communications including the EMAS
Flu video which can be found at [1]https://youtu.be/xx2hhl6ndmA, use of
social media to promote the campaign, fortnightly reporting internally to
heads of departments, use of occupational health teams, clinics at
education centres and clinics at large meetings.  We enclose copies of the
posters that were created for the flu clinics in 2014 and January 2015. 
In addition to this, the divisional teams did ad-hoc drive rounds and the
Occupational Health team conducted flu clinics as part of their clinic
days within EMAS.  The number of eligible staff increased due to staff
being recruited in line with our workforce plans and to meet our 6% year
on year increase in emergency demand.

 

For further information, our #FluFighterface song and film was one of six
winners at the NHS flu fighter awards.  The project, which was developed
by the Communications team as part of our campaign and featured pictures
of colleagues from across the Trust, won the ‘Digital and social media’
award.

 

The campaign, which was led by an Organisational Development Manager, was
also a finalist for the ‘Innovative flu fighter campaign’ award and the
Organisational Development team were finalists for the ‘Best flu fighter
team’.

 

3)     The average % vaccine uptake for ambulance services is
substantially lower than for Hospitals.  Are there reasons for this, what
is the EM Ambulance Service planning to do for the 2015/16 winter vaccine
uptake, and does it have a target for 2015/16?

 

Planning for the 2015/16 campaign is due to start in June 2015. The
national target is 75% of all frontline staff – and this will continue to
be our aim as a Trust.  We have collected data from the 2014/15 campaign
regarding why staff decline the vaccine and we will use this to help
support the campaign and promote the vaccine to increase uptake this year.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Matthew Williams

 

Note:

 

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requests and would welcome your feedback.  Please take a few moments to
complete our short questionnaire – available here at:
[2]http://www.emas.nhs.uk/freedom-of-inform....

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to ask for an internal review.  Internal review requests should be
submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your
original letter and should be addressed to:

 

Matthew Williams, Records Manager, Information Governance and Compliance
Team, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Trust Headquarters, 1
Horizon Place, Mellors Way, Nottingham Business Park, Nottingham NG8 6PY.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.

 

[3]Description: hello my name is [5]Description: Description:    
Description: Description:
Matthew Williams cid:image001.png@01CF367A.50F55880
Records Manager
 
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
1 Horizon Place                               
Mellors Way
Nottingham  
NG8 6PY
Telephone: 0115 8845125
 
[mobile number]
[4]Description: Description: Description:
Description: Email:
cid:image002.png@01CF367A.50F55880@EMASNHSTRUST [6][email address]

[7]www.emas.nhs.uk

 

 

[8]cid:image003.png@01D0160F.78E8AF20

 

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