Sheffield schools getting NHS advice on Strep A to pass on to worried parents and carers

Ruth Granger, consultant in public health, told Sheffield City Council’s health and wellbeing board: “We are seeing cases earlier than we might expect. There’s a high rate of scarlet fever cases across the country and that includes Yorkshire and the Humber and that has translated into a higher number of cases of invasive strep A.

“What we’ve been trying to give information and communicate with the public about when they should seek help, what should be of concern. We’ve sent information to schools to share.”

She said that schools have been passing on information to parents and carers.

Ms Granger continued: “It is the case that some years we have higher years and some years we have lower years. We also know that we have a situation amongst parents and among the public generally where they’ve got a high level of sensitivity to infections and diseases too because they remembered what it was like in Covid and there’s a high level of anxiety.”

She added: There’s ongoing concern about the uptake of childhood immunisation rates, obviously really important to prevent against preventable diseases. Rates have been increasing since we came out of Covid but we are concerned that we have particular parts of the city and groups where uptake is not as high as we would want it to be to protect our population.”

Low levels ‘shocking’

Ms Granger showed board members a map linking immunisation levels and city areas of deprivation. She said the chair of the board had written to NHS England with concerns about the way that immunisation services are delivered in those communities.

She said a pilot scheme is taking place at the Children’s Hospital for staff to check that children who visit outpatients are up to date with immunisations.

Dr David Black of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “It goes without saying that childhood immunisations are the most important health intervention that is delivered. It is concerning to see that some practices are delivering less than 90 per cent.”

He asked how effective NHS England is in tackling that and said it is important that GP practices ensure that no child visiting leaves without being immunised unless there are objections.

Ms Granger replied many practices are working really hard and not getting the required results. She said there needs to work across all NHS sectors to drive up numbers, not just primary care.

‘You’re actually penalised’

GP Dr Leigh Sorsbie of NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said that in some practices the level is 50 per cent, which is “shocking”. She said there were significant changes in the way practices are paid to immunise children.

“If you’re working in an area of high deprivation, communities that are at the highest risk of these diseases that we’re trying to immunise against, you’re actually penalised for not being able to reach those communities in the same way.”

She said practices in the north of the city are losing out on £11-13,000 a year in bonuses for hitting vaccination targets, which they could use to do the work.

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