Western Trust ‘encouraging’ more staff to take Covid vaccine

The Western Trust says that over recent weeks it has been encouraging staff to take the Covid-19 vaccine.

A media briefing was held on Tuesday where the Trust revealed that over 90 per cent of care home residents have been inoculated.

According to Dr Bob Brown, Executive Director of Nursing/Primary Care and Older People's services, there has also been a ‘very good response’ amongst care home staff.  The Trust previously stated that 70 per cent of care home staff had accepted the vaccine.

There are currently no Covid outbreaks in local care homes.

The Trust provides care for over 3,500 service users in their own homes every day.  There has been 75 per cent vaccine uptake amongst home care staff.

Information on vaccine uptake amongst hospital staff and Trust-wide numbers are not available, the meeting heard.

Dr Brown explained: “I would say that’s not information that we would be providing on the basis that we cannot ask individuals, have you or have you not had a vaccine.”

“Therefore, we’re working on the basis of exit information.  We know we’ve had an increasingly positive uptake but, he said, it’s difficult to provide evidence of specific numbers in each area.”

Asked if staff on high-risk hospital wards would be encouraged to take the vaccine, such as those who treat cancer patients, he said: “We’ll certainly use every opportunity we can through our leadership walks to encourage uptake of the vaccine, that’s something as a corporate management team that we have taken as a priority in recent weeks, to absolutely do that.”

Chief Executive Dr Anne Kilgallen added: “We continue to have very stringent infection control measures at ward level, continue to have the use of PPE and social distancing as far as possible.

“So those measures remain in force and are continually monitored and encouraged by ourselves. 

“The vaccine is another line of defence but we always will adhere to the very high levels of PPE and infection control at clinical patient contact level.”

The prospect of another wave of infections was raised at the media briefing.  Geraldine McKay, Director of Acute Hospitals, said there is some data which assures the Trust ‘no high surge’ is anticipated over the summer but a ‘small spike’ could take place at the end of Autumn and beginning of Winter.

She continued: “That would be normal winter pressures and respiratory disease so we’re not sure if there would be any additional spike there due to Covid.

“That’s the basic information we have at this time.”

Dr Kilgallen encouraged the public to take the vaccine and adhere to restrictions to allow the Trust and wider NHS to treat other important health issues.

“Take the vaccine when it’s offered but also be aware that restrictions that remain are in our best interests and we should do our best to comply at all times,” she said.

‘VOLUNTARY’

A debate has been ongoing in other parts of the UK about whether the vaccine should be mandatory for care home staff or those working in high-risk areas.

The Derry News lodged Freedom of Information requests with the Western Trust, Health and Social Care Board and Department of Health (DoH) - which oversees the running of the programme - to get a detailed breakdown of vaccine uptake amongst staff.

In response, each organisation said it did not hold the information.

The DoH explained that the vaccination programme remains voluntary but where uptake is lower than average staff will be ‘encouraged’ to accept the vaccine.

A spokesperson said: “As cohorts become eligible, individuals make their own decisions about stepping forward for vaccination.

“The Department does not routinely record reasons why people choose not to be vaccinated.

“As the programme proceeds and more information becomes available on uptake rates within particular parts of the HSC workforce, action will be taken to try and encourage uptake in any areas where the uptake levels remains lower than average.”

The DoH believes that overall, there has been a ‘good uptake’ of the vaccine amongst health and social care staff.

More detailed data will be available in the coming weeks, a spokesperson said.

She concluded: “This will enable the Department and Trusts to drill down and obtain more granular data regarding the various parts of the health service and if necessary focus on those areas with lower uptake rates.”