As a health provider within numerous regional systems, everybody at DHU Healthcare takes our social responsibilities seriously, including doing everything we can to keep our patients and colleagues safe and well.
The winter months put a lot of pressure on health services and one of the things we do to help protect our people from sickness is to provide the seasonal flu vaccine to all colleagues.
We try to make it as easy as possible for our people to access the vaccine with clinics across all sites. We work within a fluid and geographically large working environment so have trained up a number of our people as Peer Vaccinators who can administer the vaccine at a time and place that suits colleagues.
The training is almost done and Victoria Nash, a 111 Clinical Performance Manager based at our Birchfield House Advice Centre in OIdbury, is the first to complete it. We caught up with her to find out more about what it involves and how our colleagues will benefit…
“I used to be an acupuncturist, so I’m well versed at administering needles and have been nursing since 2014, including work at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton as a Cardio-Thoracic Nurse. I moved to 111 in 2019 under Care UK, then West Midlands Ambulance and joined DHU’s 111 service, initially in Derby as a Clinical Shift Lead before moving to Oldbury in June.
“The patient at the other end is out sole focus”
“I’ve never been a Peer Vaccinator before but loved the idea of that face to face contact and practical experience that I had as a nurse. I love the personal care that we give people as a 111 service, the patient at the other end of the phone is our sole focus, but this element of colleague care really appealed to me.
“Making sure our workforce is protected, for me, is an essential part of what we do. We’re here to keep people healthy, give them the best advice and protect people which is exactly what the staff vaccination programme is all about. Through being vaccinated ourselves, we are creating that barrier to spreading the vaccine which protects us, our colleagues, families and ultimately the patients we’re here to treat. We need to practice what we preach and taking the vaccine is part of that.
“I also like learning new skills and this training was intense, seven and a half hours including learning about the vaccine itself, how it is developed and regulated, allergies, what we need to ask those who take it and, of course, how to administer it safely. I didn’t realise I was the first to complete the training until you told me, I’m proud of that and looking forward to doing my bit to help the programme.
Protecting our people and patients
“In terms of the Peer Vaccinator role, it’s as much about education as it is providing the vaccine. If people have any questions or doubts, I can help to make an informed decision. I know there are a lot of misconceptions about the vaccine in terms of effectiveness, how it’s developed, who can have it and I’m here to answer those questions.
“I’m also here to vaccinate our colleagues at a time that suits them. If they can’t attend a clinic or not sure of their availability, then they can contact me directly and arrange for me to give them the vaccine. Once the vaccine is available to staff, my details and those of all Peer Vaccinators will be on the Staff Intranet, organised by location to help people find their nearest and most easily accessible Peer Vaccinator. I would encourage colleagues to make use of us; we’re here to help, inform and protect you from flu.
“I’m proud to be doing my part to ensure our colleagues have easier access to a vaccine that will create that barrier between seasonal flu and our workforce. We know how much of an impact sickness can have on services and patients during what will be a challenging winter, so it’s up to us to do everything we can to protect ourselves and each other.”