- App successfully used across Rotherham and Surrey to support roll-out of 2020 mass flu vaccinations
- Drive-through clinics delivering up to 800 vaccinations per day using the app
- App updates patient records quickly and simply from remote locations
An app developed by Health Technology provider Substrakt Health could solve a key challenge for Primary Care Networks running centralised mass COVID-19 flu vaccination programmes, by automatically completing the administration for each appointment in seconds.
The app has been successfully used to support mass drive-through flu vaccination clinics across Rotherham and Surrey, delivering up to 800 vaccinations each day as part of this year’s expanded programme.
Following the announcement that vaccines will be distributed to the population from mass COVID-19 vaccination sites operated by GPs through primary care networks, attention has now turned to the logistical arrangements that need to take place to deliver the vaccines as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.
Ash Vora, Managing Director at Substrakt Health explains: “The drive-through flu clinics have been particularly successful at ramping up the uptake amongst vulnerable groups, offering them a safe and easy way of getting their flu vaccine.
“It’s been great for GP practices too, who haven’t had to disrupt any of their usual services, and have run these clinics on minimal staff as well as saving hundreds of hours in administration. The app can also update the national database on behalf of local teams, and can be used for appointment booking and gathering of pre-screening questions.”
In advance of a vaccination appointment, the app sends each patient a unique QR code by SMS. On arrival, the code is scanned by the clinician on a tablet or smartphone device. The patient information is then automatically retrieved, and the clinician selects the vaccine batch number and the location of injection from drop-down menus before saving to the patient’s record.
Heathcot Medical Practice based in Woking have been using the app at their drive-through flu clinics this year. Kat Robbings, Clinical Support Co-ordinator at the practice explains “This year with the expanded flu programme and over 7,000 patients to vaccinate, we knew we needed an efficient and safe way of reaching our target numbers.
“In a normal clinic held in the surgery without the app, one clinician could deliver 70 vaccinations. This app enables us to see 800 because we can complete a drive-through appointment in around one minute, updating patient records there and then.
“It’s saved us over 600 hours alone in administration, it’s easy to use and we’ve had incredible patient feedback too.”
Watch the app at the drive-through clinic in Woking in the video at the top of this article.
