Healthwatch Cheshire’s work with the Boating community credited by Royal Society for Public Health

Healthwatch Cheshire’s work with the Boating community across Cheshire has been featured as an example of good practice nationally in the Royal Society for Public Health’s Assuring and Improving Immunisation Services toolkit.

The toolkit provides a series of resources for leaders in local health systems across the country to improve the numbers of people being vaccinated in their area and reduce inequalities in access and uptake of vaccines.

It provide tools, guidance and resources for Directors of Public Health and their teams, commissioners, and Immunisation Leads within Integrated Care Systems, Local Pharmaceutical Committees, and Primary Care Networks.

Healthwatch Cheshire were featured in the improving awareness of, and confidence in, vaccinations section of the toolkit, in regard to providing an example of developing communications around vaccinations. You can read this here.

In March 2021, Healthwatch Cheshire worked in partnership with the Waterways Chaplaincy to raise awareness of GP Access Cards and to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with the Boating Community across Cheshire.

We visited 45 marinas, designated moorings, canals, towns and villages on foot across Cheshire and Warrington and Halton, talking to 89 members of the boating community and marina staff to offer support, advice and guidance on a variety of subjects. This has included talking to Boaters about how they can register with a GP Practice, how this can help people to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, and about the vaccination programme taking place throughout Cheshire.

You can read our report looking at our activity and feedback from Boaters here.