COVID-19 vaccine uptake in healthcare workers: explainer
Updated 26 May 2022
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/covid-19-vaccine-uptake-in-frontline-healthcare-workers-monthly-data-2021-to-2022/covid-19-vaccine-uptake-in-healthcare-workers-explainer
Frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) have been defined as a high priority group for vaccination, in whom vaccine uptake should be reported as accurately as possible.
This background note explains the key differences between the 2 major sources of data on vaccine uptake in healthcare workers.
COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Vaccine Uptake Survey
The coronavirus (COVID-19) Frontline Healthcare Workers Vaccine Uptake Survey, published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), provides important information to assist with the implementation of the vaccination campaign locally, regionally and nationally.
This is currently the only survey that provides a dynamic, up-to-date picture of current vaccinated frontline healthcare workers, broken down by occupational staff grouping.
The data in this report also will inform the future joint flu and COVID-19 vaccination vaccine uptake in frontline healthcare workers report, to be published by UKHSA as Official Statistics from 28 October.
The survey does not include data on:
- staff who are not present at work and not in direct patient contact for that survey period
- organisations not submitting data (response rates are reported alongside the data)
Staff employed by a third party who have direct patient contact are included in the survey. Staff numbers and number of staff vaccinated are updated and checked by the submitting organisations each month. Where Trusts have an incomplete record of the vaccination status of their frontline staff, the vaccine uptake may be an underestimate.
The COVID-19 Frontline Healthcare Workers Vaccine Uptake Survey uses the same data collection method as the flu vaccination programme for frontline HCWs and therefore is directly comparable to that data, previously published by UKHSA as Official Statistics at: Seasonal flu vaccine uptake in healthcare workers: monthly data, 2021 to 2022.
NHS Trust Healthcare Workers in the NHS Electronic Staff Record
Data on vaccinations given to healthcare workers directly employed by the NHS is available from NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) as management information in the NHSEI weekly and monthly COVID-19 vaccinations publications.
This data covers all NHS Trusts, but represents only those NHS Trust healthcare workers who appear in the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR). The figures do not include data on agency staff and NHS Bank staff that are not paid through ESR.
The estimated number of NHS Trust healthcare workers in ESR who are frontline is also provided in the NHSEI weekly publications, using staffing group proportions from the latest available workforce statistics published by NHS Digital and latest total workforce counts from the Electronic Staff Record, as identified in the UK vaccine delivery plan.
However, the numbers of vaccinations reported in both the NHSEI weekly and monthly publications relate to all NHS Trust healthcare workers in ESR, not just those who are frontline.
NHSEI data is not comparable with Official Statistics on flu and COVID-19 vaccine uptake rates for public health surveillance purposes.