Project Overview: 

A new programme is being offered to practices across the East of England to support the delivery of pneumococcal vaccination to patients who are at the highest risk. The aim of the programme is to identify eligible patients who may benefit from the pneumococcal vaccine and ensure they are engaged and supported to receive the vaccination. This initiative will be powered through Eclipse, which will centrally identify, engage, educate, and invite patients to receive the pneumococcal vaccine, prioritising those in greatest need. 

Objectives: 

• To improve patient outcomes by ensuring high-risk patients are prioritised for pneumococcal vaccination. 

• To reduce health inequalities by targeting populations in the highest deprivation quintile. 

• To ensure that patients at risk are offered and receive the vaccination in a timely manner. 

• To develop a transferable model that other systems can adopt to support them in identifying and engaging high-risk patients for vaccination programmes. 

• To support ICBs in refining their vaccination delivery models, as set out in the regional vaccination strategy. 

• To create a system-wide vaccination engagement pathway for sharing across the East of England region and nationally. 

1. Patient Identification: 

Patients of focus for this programme will be those aged 65 and over or those under 65 with chronic medical conditions that put them at increased risk of pneumococcal infections, including: 

• Chronic respiratory conditions (e.g., COPD, asthma) 

• Diabetes mellitus 

• Cardiovascular disease 

• Immunocompromised patients 

• Individuals with a history of pneumonia or recurrent respiratory infections 

• Patients with a history of hospital admissions for respiratory conditions 

2. Patient Engagement and Prioritisation: 

Once identified, patients will be contacted centrally via Eclipse’s digital patient engagement platform by SMS, with a link to an informative landing page. They will be guided through a dynamic questionnaire to capture additional health information, risk factors, and preferences related to receiving the pneumococcal vaccine. This information, combined with their clinical records, will help prioritise patients for vaccination. 

3. Pneumococcal Vaccination: 

Once patients engage and consent to the vaccination programme, they will be offered an appointment for vaccination at their local practice or vaccination hub. Vaccination records will be documented in the clinical system, and patients will be informed of their vaccination status, along with any recommended follow-up actions or advice. 

If your practice would like to take part: 

Please complete the below pro forma, expressing your interest and permission for patient engagement. 
Note that you will be notified prior to any active patient engagement, and your practice will be issued with guidance on how to view patient lists and document patient reviews.