NHS: Powering the UK’s vaccination rollout with rapid, compliant screening

Background

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, the UK entered a nationwide lockdown, creating unprecedented challenges. As part of the government’s strategy to ease restrictions and reopen the country, an ambitious vaccination programme was launched. 

On 8 December 2020, the UK became the first country in the world to deploy an approved COVID-19 vaccine outside clinical trials. The programme became the largest in British history, with thousands of vaccination centres rapidly established, putting 98% of people within 10 miles of a clinic. 

The challenge

The NHS launched a recruitment drive for 10,000 new vaccinators. Tasked with sourcing, screening, and onboarding significant numbers of skilled staff at speed. 

Integral to this mission was ensuring that, despite the scale and urgency, compliance standards were not compromised. All staff deployed to the vaccination programme needed to have the right skills, background, and clearance to work in such a high-profile, public-facing role. 

With internal teams focused on managing candidates post-screening, they required an experienced partner who could: 

• Implement a solution almost instantly 

• Handle high volumes of checks within weeks 

• Bring innovative compliance solutions 

• Provide a fully outsourced screening process 

The Solution

The NHS partnered with Giant Screening to deliver this critical element of the programme. 

Our reputation for innovation and service delivery, combined with our ability to mobilise quickly, ensured we could provide not only what was required but also new solutions to overcome compliance challenges. 

Key elements included: 

• Over 13,000 screening packs completed, the majority within less than 9 days. 

• DBS barred list checks completed in an average of 1.7 days. 

• Same-day turnaround for most criminal record checks. 

• A bespoke digital process implemented within days, enabling candidates to supply information and e-sign documents via a secure, mobile-friendly application. 

• A dedicated team processing over 1,000 candidate emails daily, with an average response time under 30 minutes. 

• Continuous bespoke Management Information and reporting to support visibility and decision-making. 

The results

The speed and scale of Giant Screening’s mobilisation allowed the NHS to deploy vaccinators and support staff at pace, while ensuring compliance was never compromised. 

The NHS were so impressed with the Giant Screening approach that the partnership continued into the second phase of the vaccination programme. As industry leaders in their respective fields, both organisations are committed to building on this success and continuing to support the NHS in delivering critical workforce programmes at scale. 

The tailored digital process not only reduced time to hire but also enhanced the candidate experience, creating a seamless and supportive journey during a critical national effort. 

“I have always maintained that Giant Screening’s greatest attribute is our customer-first philosophy, and the ability to maintain that under the most challenging demands. Never has this been tested more than during 2021, and never have we responded better. I count myself fortunate to lead a team operating at the top of their game. From the very start, it was clear the NHS valued a partnership approach, working as one team with Giant Screening to deliver an exceptional programme.” 
Mat Armstrong, CEO, Giant Screening