UKHSA deputy director for immunisations on expanding the RSV jab campaign

The newly expanded RSV vaccination programme should reduce hospital admissions and better protect vulnerable people, a government immunisation expert has said.

Speaking on the Nursing in Practice podcast this month, Dr Julie Yates, deputy director for immunisation programmes at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the decision to expand the programme to adults aged 80 and over, as well as all residents in care homes for older adults, reflects clear evidence of the burden of RSV disease in older age groups.

‘We know RSV infections occur in the very young, which is why we’ve got a programme for pregnant women protecting babies when they are born,’ she said.

‘But it also affects the older populations, particularly those who are much more likely to require hospital treatment.’

‘We know that [older people] are a group that can be protected by the vaccine, and so we’re now rolling this out to them.

‘We also know that this is going to be effective in giving them protection, which will then reduce hospitalisations.’

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Dr Yates, who has a background in nursing and health visiting, added that while hospitalisation rates are higher among older adults overall, the highest rates continue to be seen in people aged over 80, prompting the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Infection (JCVI) to recommend expanding the programme to those at greatest risk.

Guidance from the JCVI allows the RSV vaccine to be given alongside the Covid-19 vaccine, but not at the same time as the flu vaccine.

Dr Yates said the RSV roll-out had been aligned with the Covid vaccination programme to minimise pressure on GP practices.

‘We’ve tried to roll out the vaccine alongside the Covid programme to optimise capacity,’ Dr Yates said.

‘Hopefully, those who are able to deliver it alongside something they were already going to do, won’t have to do that twice.’

Dr Yates added that patients will have more than one opportunity to be vaccinated.

‘There’s an opportunity to give them the vaccine now, but also later in the year if they don’t accept the first offer,’ she said.

Variation in vaccine uptake 

Recent data published in mid-January shows mixed uptake of the RSV vaccine among older adults.

‘There is quite a vast difference in uptake between men and women,’ Dr Yates said.

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‘Unusually, men currently have higher uptake than women, even though both are equally vulnerable to infection.’

Geographical variation is also pronounced. ‘In the south-east, which is generally less deprived, uptake is around 66.3%, whereas in London it’s as low as 48.8%,’ she said.

She noted that socioeconomic factors also play a role in RSV vaccine uptake.

‘We tend to see much lower uptake in more deprived populations, at around 48%, compared with about 70% in the least deprived areas,’ Dr Yates said.

‘That’s why making those offers accessible and using local insight into where those populations are is really helpful.’

Making information accessible 

Dr Yates stressed the importance of practice nurses making full use of available patient information resources.

‘We have many resources available through the public health resources website, including leaflets, which are important for informed consent and for helping to bring people in,’ she said.

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‘We’ve got Braille, BSL, video and easy-read versions, and we would encourage these to be used,’ Dr Yates added. ‘We can also help with text messaging and short snippets that can be included in invitations.’

Dr Yates said further support is available if needed. ‘If further advice is required, screening and immunisation teams in the regions are available, and the national immunisation team can also help to plug any gaps,’ she added.

Speaking to Nursing in Practice last week Greta Hayward, consultant midwife in the immunisation programmes division at the UKHSA, shared advice for practice nurses on the roll out of the MMRV vaccine which was introduced in the routine childhood immunisation schedule in January.