What Can We Learn from West Berkshire's RSV Vaccine Success?

West Berkshire has something to celebrate!

Recent figures show the area has achieved the highest uptake of the maternal RSV vaccine in England, with 84% of eligible pregnant women receiving the vaccine during pregnancy.

While this is great news for babies and families, from a Healthwatch West Berkshire perspective it is also a powerful example of how effective communication and joined-up working can improve health outcomes.

The RSV vaccine helps protect newborn babies from a virus that can cause serious respiratory illness and hospital admission in the first months of life. By receiving the vaccine during pregnancy, mothers pass protective antibodies to their baby before birth.

What stands out about this success is not just the vaccine itself, but how it is delivered.

The information is provided at the right time, through trusted maternity professionals, and linked to convenient local vaccination appointments, including at West Berkshire Community Hospital.

At Healthwatch, we often hear from residents that finding the right information and navigating services can sometimes be as challenging as accessing care itself. The RSV programme shows what can happen when services work differently, bringing information and support directly to people rather than expecting them to find their own way through the system.

This approach aligns closely with the NHS's ambition to develop Neighbourhood Health Services, with a greater focus on prevention, partnership working and care closer to home. The success of the RSV programme demonstrates several key principles in action:

• Providing information when it is most relevant.

• Building on trusted relationships between patients and healthcare professionals.

• Joining up maternity, vaccination and community services.

• Making services easy to access locally.

• Focusing on prevention and early intervention

  
  

For us and the residents of West Berkshire, this is a reminder that when organisations work together, communicate clearly and bring services into communities, people are more likely to engage with their health and wellbeing.

West Berkshire's leading RSV vaccination rate is not only a success for local families. It is a positive example of how neighbourhood-based healthcare, delivered through trusted relationships and joined-up services, can help achieve better outcomes for everyone.

What are your thoughts about new NHS ambition to develop neighbourhood health services?

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Email Us: contact@healthwatchwestberks.org.uk