Improving uptake of influenza vaccination in primary care

In January, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a new quality standard document on increasing the uptake of flu vaccination among those eligible (NICE, 2020) (Box 1). Quality standards can be used to compare the care general practices currently provide to understand which priority areas to focus on for quality improvement.

Box 1.Quality standard (QS190). Flu vaccination: increasing uptake

The quality standard refers to all eligible groups, except for the over 65 age group, in whom uptake is already quite high. During the 2018–19 season, the percentage of people vaccinated was as follows (Public Health England, 2019):

GP practices need to have systems in place that enable staff to identify people eligible for flu vaccination. Suggested methods of contacting patients include by writing (letter, email or text message), by phone, through social media or through a combination of methods.