By Lynn Swinburne, Senior Health Promotion Officer, National Screening Service
The HSE has started a community-based HPV vaccination pilot project in Cork and Kerry to support Ireland’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer in every community by 2040. This is a partnership project between the National Immunisation Office, the National Screening Service and local stakeholders including public health, vaccination teams and community organisations.
The project aims to improve HPV vaccination rates among underserved communities including Traveller, Roma and migrant groups. It will provide access to targeted information and support that helps these groups to make an informed choice about the HPV vaccine.
What we’re doing
We’re working with communities to:
- understand and address the barriers to getting the HPV vaccination
- co-design interventions and materials to support people to make informed choices about getting the HPV vaccine
- deliver HPV vaccine clinics in community settings.
Our progress and how we’re working
We’ve taken a collaborative approach from the start, working with partners and communities across Cork and Kerry to design and deliver this project.
Here’s what we’ve done so far:
- Built strong partnerships: We’re working with key stakeholders including the Cork and Kerry Traveller Health Unit, migrant and Roma health teams, vaccinators and HSE Social Inclusion.
- Set up an advisory committee: We’ve brought together members of these stakeholder groups and representatives from target communities to guide and oversee the project’s development.
- Reviewed the evidence: We’ve commissioned a literature review to identify barriers and enablers to HPV vaccination in underserved communities.
- Engaged directly with communities: We’ve consulted people from target communities to understand their needs, views and preferences for getting the HPV vaccine.
- Created resources: We’ve co-designed information materials including an animated video, factsheets and an easy-to-read leaflet.
- Tested materials: We’ve tested these resources with communities and gathered feedback to refine and improve them.
- Built local capacity: We’ve delivered workshops and training for community health workers about HPV and the vaccine.
- Planned next steps: We’re preparing to deliver HPV vaccination clinics in suitable community-based settings and have consulted with vaccinators and public health teams to design these. We’ve commissioned an external evaluation to review the process, outputs and outcomes of the pilot project.
This project is funded from the Department of Health’s Women’s Health Fund, supporting the delivery of Ireland’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Action Plan to make cervical cancer a rare disease in Ireland by 2040.
- Find out more about Ireland’s work to eliminate cervical cancer: hse.ie/cervicalcancerelimination