Inpatient COVID-19 vaccination rollout: Improving access to vaccination

We were aware of high numbers of inpatients unvaccinated against COVID-19 at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). Due to this, an inpatient vaccination protocol was set up in July 2021, with initially limited uptake.

From October 2021, a multidisciplinary team worked to improve the protocol for inpatient vaccination, with the development of a system that gave ownership to clinical teams.

In 4 months (July 2021 to November 2021), 20 inpatients had been vaccinated at GSTT. Following our intervention, rates of uptake increased, and 34 patients were vaccinated in less than 2 months (November 2021 to January 2022). Forty-five patients who had been referred were discharged without vaccination; attempts were made to invite them to receive a vaccine.

An improved pathway and referral process increased the number of inpatient vaccinations delivered. Further work is required in order to ensure that more patients who have been referred are vaccinated.