Pneumococcal Vaccination Recall Program 2024 success

24 February 2025

Pneumococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Whilst anyone can contract this infection, young children, people with risk conditions and older adults are more susceptible to infection and severe complications from invasive pneumococcal disease. For these groups, vaccination is strongly recommended and funded on the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

The pneumococcal vaccination rate in Australia for older adults has been steadily increasing over the past few years but remains relatively low. In 2023, the coverage rate for the 13-valent vaccine among Australian adults turning 71 was 37.6%, a modest increase from 33.8% in 2022.

Register your practice for 2025

Outcome of the program in 2024

In July 2024, general practices in Central and Eastern Sydney PHN (CESPHN) region were invited to participate in a free pneumococcal vaccination recall program for adults aged 70 and over, coordinated by Healthily using the GoShare platform.

This program enables general practices to conduct free SMS recalls to patients eligible to receive a free pneumococcal vaccination, funded on the NIP. The SMS message informs patients of their eligibility while providing valuable information on pneumococcal pneumonia and its associated risks.

CESPHN is one of nine PHNs participating in this recall program. To date, 33 practices in the region have enrolled into the program. This has resulted in a total of over 11,000 patients receiving an SMS recall for pneumococcal vaccination.

Of the 26 practices who have been followed up; 1,260 patients have received a Prevenar vaccine – an impressive 10-fold increase, with an average of 47 patients per practice, compared to just 4.7 patients per practice in the same period prior to the program commencement.

These results highlight the program’s significant quality improvement success and underscores outstanding efforts of practice staff engaging with patients and administering these vital vaccinations.

Program continues in 2025

The free GoShare pneumococcal recall program will continue to be funded by Pfizer throughout 2025. This program includes a 15-minute training session with Healthily, free SMS credits and ongoing support to implement the recall program. The SMS includes a link to educational resources about pneumococcal pneumonia and a reminder to book an appointment.

If you are a general practice interested in enrolling in this program in 2025, please complete this expression of interest form. For more information see our website. Practices can use this Pneumococcal QI template to record this as a quality improvement activity (QIA).

Practices that participated in 2024 are welcome to re-register for this program in 2025, noting there will be a six month window between the completion of your last program and being contacted again to recommence in 2025.

Testimonials from participating practices

“The program has been very successful, with improved vaccination rates and patient satisfaction… It has laid a strong foundation for continuous quality improvement. This has significantly helped save staff time by reducing the need for manual follow-ups. The feedback from patients has been very positive. Many have appreciated the reminder notification, which has made it easier for them to stay on track with their vaccinations…Programs like these are invaluable for small practices like ours, helping us keep the costs of preventive health services low.”
                                                                  Caritas Medical Centre

“I think the program has been and will be very successful. We have very compliant patients, and they have all been impressed that we have been contacting them for this vaccine.”
                                                               Dr P Loxley & Dr L Corbett

“The Pneumococcal vaccine recall program was successful with a 15% increase in vaccination rate among those who received the SMS and subsequently scheduled an appointment. We are very pleased to see this excellent outcome”
                                                                   My Health Enfield