London Programme for IT

RiO improves child immunisation rates in Lambeth PCT

In Lambeth PCT, RiO has successfully increased the number of children immunised and protected from illnesses like measles and hepatitis B.

More children protected through RiO

RiO Scheduler is run every month and Lambeth works hard to sell the benefits of immunisation to parents. For example, explaining that they are putting other people at risk, including their child's teacher, because tuberculosis (TB) and measles are not childhood illnesses.

Reaching parents whose children are due for jabs is now quick and easy. Lambeth PCT takes an exact copy of the immunisations listed on the GP clinical system and then adds these immunisations to each child's RiO file before running a RiO programme called Immunisation Scheduler. This lists all the children who have not been immunised and the names are sent to the child's health worker who contacts the parents.

As a result of Scheduler and our data improvement project, at least 68% of children in Lambeth now have the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab. Scheduler has also been used to target 12-year-old girls for human papillomavirus (HPV) and 87% of girls in the area have had the vaccine.

RiO is kept up-to-date by a team of data input officers. Each officer specialises in a vaccination, for example, bacillus calmette-guérin (BCG), measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) or hepatitis B, and builds up a relationship with local practices.

‘RiO is a clinical database that works for clinicians'

Notes on RiO can be seen by everyone involved in a child's care, for example the midwife, health worker, and school nurse. Even podiatrists can see the notes so when they are treating a child they can remind the parent that an immunisation is due. In this way, as well as increasing the number of children taking up immunisations, RiO is improving public health.