A psychosocial critique of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK care home staff attitudes to the flu vaccination: A qualitative longitudinal study

Anyiam-Osigwe, Adaku, Katangwe-Chigamba, Thando, Scott, Sion, Seeley, Carys, Patel, Amrish, Sims, Erika J., Holland, Richard, Bion, Veronica, Clark, Allan B., Wyn Griffiths, Alys, Jones, Liz, Wagner, Adam P., Wright, David J. and Birt, Linda (2024) A psychosocial critique of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK care home staff attitudes to the flu vaccination: A qualitative longitudinal study. Vaccines, 12 (12). ISSN 2076-393X

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Vaccinating care home staff is essential to protect vulnerable residents by reducing infection risks and creating a safer care environment. However, vaccine hesitancy amongst staff remains a challenge, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns about side effects and vaccination mandates. This study examines how the pandemic influenced flu vaccine hesitancy amongst UK care home staff. Methods: Data were collected from the FluCare trials conducted over the 2021–22 and 2022–23 winter seasons to explore the impact of concurrent mandatory and non-mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies on flu vaccine uptake. A total of 52 interviews (21 from the feasibility study and 31 from the randomised control trial) were conducted with care home managers and staff. Thematic analysis identified key themes shaping staff attitudes toward flu vaccination. Results: Four central themes emerged regarding the impact of the pandemic on staff attitudes and the contextual influences shaping vaccine hesitance: (i) tension between autonomy and morals in vaccination decisions; (ii) the COVID ‘craze’ and the displacement of the flu vaccine; (iii) the role of the COVID ‘craze’ in staff vaccine fatigue; and (iv) conspiracies, (mis)information, and the significance of trust. Psychosocial theories on decision making and health behaviour were used to further interpret the findings. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that post-COVID-19 interventions in care home setting should address the issues of autonomy, vaccine fatigue, and trust to enhance vaccine uptake. Understanding these factors could support more effective strategies to address hesitancy amongst care home staff in future vaccination campaigns.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Data Availability Statement: The original contributions presented in this study are included within the article/Supplementary Materials. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. Funding Information: The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Public Health Research funding stream. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care [Grant ref: NIHR133455]. APW is also supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England (NIHR ARC EoE) at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Economics Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Clinical Trials Unit Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Economic Theory Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Behavioural Economics Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Centres > Centre for Behavioural and Experimental Social Sciences Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Statistics Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Economics Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Patient Care
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	24 Jun 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	24 Jun 2025 19:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99704
DOI:	10.3390/vaccines12121437

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