Achieving High Staff Vaccination Rates - Is it really too hard?

There is very much a team "can do" attitude at The Whiddon Group Redhead according to manager Debbie Gleeson. Redhead has featured previously in the QPS Newsletter for its resident balls and the community Christmas Carols events but aged care is comprised of a complex number of services and processes and it is important to review and develop each and every aspect. One person cannot do everything and this is why teamwork is so important.

As a team, we constantly review our mission and objectives and set ourselves high but realistic targets and for this reason Redhead is setting its sights on a better practice award for infection control at the next accreditation round. A critical team member for this objective is Jackie Finlay, the facility's infection control coordinator. Affectionately known as "Jack the Jailer", Jackie has the reputation for locking everything and everyone into correct policy and procedure.

"When it comes to infection control, it is pointless having everything else in place and then not having the staff vaccinated" says Jackie, and she point outs that achieving a high level of staff vaccination required the assistance of management and the local general practitioners. The facility is supported by a medical practice with three female doctors who actively participate in the quality management initiatives of the facility. One of them, Dr Bromwyn Anderson is the Chairperson of the Medical Advisory Committee and she and her colleagues actively participate in the review of clinical outcomes.

Dr Anderson also plays a key role in the process to achieve high staff vaccination rates. Each year Dr Anderson comes to the facility to do the staff vaccinations. A memo is distributed to staff two weeks before the event and staff, both on shift and off shift, are asked to attend. The facility pays Dr Anderson for the time spent at the clinic but as Debbie Gleeson points out the whole process is run like clockwork and is all over in about two hours so the cost is minimal. Staff records are retrieved and organised well in advance, all the materials necessary for the vaccinations are sourced and made ready and this includes the obligatory Freddo Frog treats. Now that the system has been in place for a few years getting it organised is now a simple and routine process.

Staff being vaccinated at The Whiddon Group Redhead

Jackie Finlay contends that the common excuse for low staff vaccination rates being staff refuse to have the vaccinations is more myth than reality. Redhead has only a few "conscientious objectors". Objection is often based in ignorance and any staff member that chooses not to be vaccinated is first counselled by Jackie and if the objection still remains then the staff member is counselled by Dr Anderson. The staff member is free to choose not to be vaccinated after being properly informed but few at Redhead, once they hear the facts, refuse to be vaccinated. It is extremely important to the management at TWG Redhead to ensure that both consent and refusal is an informed decision.

We have worked hard to reduce our infection rates and we also have some strong human resource policies that help us manage our staff vaccination and overall infection rates. For example, any staff member who comes down with either influenza or gastro must get a medical clearance to return to work. Staff know that we treat the flu seriously and they do not want to miss time from work and go through the clearance process for an illness that can be easily prevented by vaccination.

It must also be noted that 100% of residents are vaccinated against the flu and educated in the benefits of vaccination. Residents have even been overheard encouraging staff to ensure that they too have been vaccinated.

Other polices that have worked for us include isolating all residents returning from hospital for the first 48 hours. Experience indicates that this group was the highest risk for spreading new bugs throughout the facility and so residents and families have been educated and are supportive. As soon as any resident comes down with gastro and or signs of flu they are isolated and visited by the infection control coordinator each day until such time as the infection clears. Only the infection control coordinator or manager can reverse the isolation order.

Over the past couple of years we have been developing "acute care" plans for our major clinical risk factors and we have these in place for influenza and gastro and we are now working on similar plans for falls and diabetes. Our outcomes are monitored and review through our Medical Advisory Committee that comprises our local medical practitioners, clinical pharmacist and our key clinical staff.

% Staff Vaccination - Influenza

TWG Redhead outperforms other QPS clients in terms of staff vaccination program.

% Staff Vaccination - Influenza

For two years in a row TWG Redhead has topped the staff vaccination charts and has achieved 96% compliance in 2010.

% Infections - With and Without Pathology

TWG Redhead has been consistently below the average infection rate since 2005 and has only jumped above the average where a gastro outbreak spanned across two consecutive quarters.

% Infections (UTI's) - With and Without Pathology

Urinary tract infections have been maintained at or below the average rate since data on this indicator was first collected.