Research into the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in North Central London (NCL) was recently featured in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN), a world-leading international peer-reviewed publication.
The aim of the research was to create a public resource that would commemorate the collaborative efforts of the diverse vaccination workforce and volunteers involved in the programme and to provide learning for future pandemics or other works of national effort. The initiative was a collaboration between Middlesex University, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), and NCL Integrated Care Board (ICB), and the output was a public audiovisual and interactive website launched in 2023 called ‘Behind the Screens in the Vaccination Centre’.
Ways of working which enabled successful delivery of millions of vaccines were analysed. The research showed that participation in the COVID-19 vaccination programme had a significant effect on NHS clinical and professional staff, partners across business, voluntary sector organisations and on the many public volunteers who offered their support. Inter-organisational collaboration has continued, with innovative ways of working introduced between academia, clinical practice and in the local community, delivering ongoing vaccinations and wider prevention activities.
Dr Josephine Sauvage, Chief Medical Officer for the ICB said: “The publication of this report is acknowledgement that enabling healthcare professionals to work in innovative ways across professions and organisations led to patient benefits in vaccination delivery. Working together to ensure services are accessible and inclusive has potential benefits in wider healthcare activities, particularly in reducing health inequalities.”
The team behind the report were, Helen T Allen, Sophia Drakapoulou, Michael Traynor and Fiona Suthers from Middlesex University, Miranda Willis, Deborah Scott and Karen Colfer from UCLH and Dan Levene from NCL ICB. Acknowledgements are also given to Chris Caldwell from NCL ICB, Sarah Needham from Moorfield’s Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Betty Wynne at UCLH for initiating and supporting the project.
Congratulations on the acknowledgement of this great piece of work.