City GP’s idea sees jab uptake increase 100%
HE AND STAFF AT SURGERY MAKE PHONE CALLS AND DISCUSS FEARS
A GP in Leicester has gone the extra mile to dispel concerns around the Covid-19 vaccine and increase uptake among his patients to almost 100 per cent.
Professor Azhar Farooqi, of the East Leicester Medical Practice in North Evington, recognised a pattern, also seen elsewhere in the country, of a lower uptake of the vaccine in socially deprived areas or those with large ethnic minority communities.
So he decided to try a new approach by making phone calls to his patients to urge them to book their jab.
And the scheme has worked so well it is now expected to be used in 50 other surgeries.
The 61-year-old, who has worked at the practice since 1987 and is Leicester City chairman for the Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “We thought we’d speak to people individually.
“A lot of the concerns people have are personal issues.
“Uptake in the city is 15 per cent lower than it is in the county and within that it is 15 per cent within the Asian community and in black communities, 40 per cent less.”
By speaking to patients, surgery staff have been able to address the individual worries of patients who have not yet received their vaccines. “There have been a lot of media campaigns but I don’t think they are always that effective,” he said.
“People need someone they can trust and if you were to get a call from your GP, you would take more notice.”
Using the new approach, the doctor and professor said 70 per cent of those called booked a vaccine within a week and by last weekend, 95 per cent of the surgery’s patients had taken it up.
While the idea is a simple one, its implementation has been a big operation for staff members at the surgery who have been making the calls to patients during evenings and weekends.
First, a call is made by a member of the practice team to check that they have received notification of the appointment.
From there, those with concerns are passed on to a GP who ring them back. Typically, concerns were around allergies to certain vaccines, concerns around fertility and suitability to religious and dietary requirements. “For some people, it’s just a few minutes phone call, but a lot of people have asked for further information about data surrounding the vaccine and other issues so it can be quite hard work,” Prof Farooqi said. Hoping to further increase the vaccine uptake in the city, Prof Farooqi said more funding should be put into areas with a lower uptake.
He said: “With the lockdown that we’ve had in Leicester and the high number of cases, it’s even more important that we maximise vaccination and not just settle for 70 or 80 per cent. When we have health inequalities as we have seen during the pandemic, we do need to sometimes put an extra effort into helping everybody out.”
“DAMAGING” leaflets questioning Covid’s existence and the effectiveness of lockdowns and vaccines have been posted through the doors of Leicestershire homes.
The printouts, seen by the Mercury, have been dropping on to doormats in Market Harborough, spreading “misinformation and sowing seeds of doubt,” said Leicestershire’s top public health boss.
Mike Sandys, Leicestershire County Council’s director of public health, was appalled and disappointed after being shown one of the leaflets. He said: “It’s hugely disappointing, it’s not the first time we’ve had this kind of misinformation spread but it is really damaging.
“I’m looking at the leaflet now and there’s so much factually wrong, it’s difficult to know where to start.
“So much about the ‘facts,’ the way it’s produced, how it’s presented, even the wording is designed at the very least to sow seeds of doubt in people’s minds. It’s frustrating.
“I would ask people who distribute these things, who is going to be telling the truth? Me, who has spent 30 years trying to improve the health of the population, or some chancer who has got it in for the govern
AT PRINTOUTS BEING DELIVERED ment? How would you take it if you’d lost a relative, a work colleague, a friend to coronavirus and then someone is saying ‘Oh no, it’s all a hoax’? Their funeral was not a hoax, clearly.”
The leaflets make a series of claims, including “hospitals are mainly empty,” and describe vaccines as “gross violations of our basic human rights”. Death figures and test results are also picked apart in parts of the text.
More than 1,400 people have died in city and county hospitals after a positive Covid test since the start of the pandemic. Those who have passed away have ranged in age from their 20s to their 100s. There have been almost 35,000 confirmed Covid cases in Leicester and approaching 43,000 in the county since this time last year.
A similar leaflet was doing the rounds in Fleckney towards the end of last year and others have been received across the county.
Speaking at the time, an NHS worker who returned home to find one said: “Covid has had a huge impact on all areas of the hospital.
“I’ve not been directly involved in treating people with the virus but the patients I do work with are affected by the lockdown rules, by visiting restrictions and other changes that apply because of it.
“Imagine being one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost someone, or finishing a frontline intensive care shift where you’d had to tell someone their loved one had died after testing positive for Covid, and coming home to this. It’s disgusting.”
It’s hugely disappointing, it’s not the first time we’ve had this kind of misinformation Mike Sandys
PUBLIC HEALTH BOSS HITS OUT
POLICE have taken to the roads in a village to drive out anti-social motorists causing problems.
Patrols have taken place in Burbage with a focus on speeding and on problem parking.
Officers handed out four tickets for speeding, with a further six letters to be sent to drivers.
The beat team monitored Rugby Road, Featherstone Drive, Coventry Road and Sapcote Road earlier this week.
Higher end speeds that were captured in 30mph zones ranged from 37mph to 43mph.
The team posted about the operation on the Hinckley Police Facebook page.
It said: “This is not a one-off. We are conducting these activities in response to residents’ concerns and we are working with local schools and businesses to address issues raised.
“We would ask that all residents, parents and commuters reflect on driving habits and ensure we keep each other safe.
“Concerns such as driving/parking on pavements, parking on junctions, double yellows, zig-zags and speeding all contribute to complaints and pose a potential danger to pedestrians, children and other road users.”
The team also patrolled Burbage Infants and Junior schools and Sketchley Primary School to monitor inconsiderate parking, where officers spoke to several parents.
The force said: “Please take a few extra minutes to park in a safe place and not feel the need to speed. We all want our children to be safe so please take care.”
The operation was set up in response to feedback from Neighbourhood Link, a network created by police where residents can find out the latest about policing in their area. You can join the group on the Neighbourhood Link website.
It was recently announced that more mobile speed detectors are to be used in Burbage to encourage motorists to drive safely around the village.
The battery-powered devices will tell drivers what speed they are going, with a “thank you” message if they are below the limit, and can easily be fastened to and removed from poles by the side of the road.
The village has one of the moveable vehicle activated signs (MVAS), and the parish council is to purchase three more and to install poles at nine new locations.
Residents are to be consulted on the nine proposed sites before they are finalised.