Immunisation Initiative Wins Best Of Health Innovation Award

Friday, 11 May 2012, 10:20 am
Press Release: Waikato District Health Board

Immunisation Initiative Wins Best Of Health Innovation Award

A Population Health immunisation initiative looking at immunising children opportunistically in hospital and health settings, has won a top prize in the Waikato District Health Board Best of Health Awards tonight.

The project, titled, ‘Opportunities taken: The need for, and effectiveness of secondary care opportunistic immunisation’, took out the innovation category, up against nine other entries.

The purpose of the innovation category is to recognise and reward those who develop new or greatly improved models of care or service delivery for the greater benefit of patients and / or providers.

A selection of DHB and primary care staff judged each of these, which came with prize money of $1500 each.

The overall prize was worth $3000 and claimed by overall winner Project Energize.

A brief description of the project

International research has shown that opportunistic immunisation in a hospital setting has potential, but there is little evidence that this potential is achievable and has never been implemented in either a New Zealand or Australian hospital setting.

Children attending hospital include a significant proportion that is under-immunised. Opportunistic immunisation has potential to improve immunisation coverage, but has not been shown to do so.

With this project, the team showed that children presenting to hospital are more likely to be under immunised than the general population, and that these children are more likely to be the socially and economically disadvantaged.

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Immunisation coverage has increased dramatically across the Waikato region during the period of this project, and the Hospital Opportunistic Immunisation Service has been a big part of this.

Rates of children presenting to hospital with less than full immunisation status has been dramatically reduced as a result.

Judges comments

The judges commented that this project was clearly innovative and shows clear, strong clinical leadership. They said the project lead was able to enthuse others and that a great team effort was very apparent.

They said it was a huge amount of work to undertake and that the team showed strong motivation.

“It is a well implemented initiative and therefore sustainable.”

Other projects that received honourable mentions at the awards were:

• Community pharmacy anticoagulation management service from Pharmacy 547
• The Waihi Project (family violence) from Population Health, Waikato DHB
• Waikato virtual lesion clinic from Waikato DHB’s Dermatology Department; and
• Working together to reach the health target of 90% of two-year-olds being fully immunised by June 2011 from Toiora Primary Health Organisation
For more information about the Best of Health Awards, other entries and the awards evening, visit www.waikatodhb.health.nz/bestofhealth

About Waikato District Health Board and Health Waikato:

Waikato DHB is responsible for planning, funding and providing quality health and disability support services for the 365,730 people living in the Waikato DHB region. It has an annual turnover of $1.2 billion and employs more than 6000 people.

Health Waikato is the DHB’s main provider of hospital and health services with an annual budget of more than $701 million and 5238 staff. It has six groups across five hospital sites, three primary birthing units, two continuing care facilities and 20 community bases offering a comprehensive range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services.

A wide range of independent providers deliver other Waikato DHB-funded health services - including primary health, pharmacies and community laboratories.

Check out our media releases on www.waikatodhb.health.nz/news or

ENDS

Waikato District Health Board

Healthy People. Excellent Care

Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.