A ‘virtual surgery’ and web chat service run by NHS Direct to help prepare girls for the new cervical cancer vaccine has won a 2009 Media Guardian Innovation Award.
The new service was commissioned by the Department of Health and involved a number of agencies and government departments plus Habbo Hotel, a social networking environment aimed specifically at young teenagers.
The HPV (human papillomavirus) service was aimed at young girls aged 12 to 13 to help answer their questions about the vaccine throughout September and October 2008.
Girls visiting Habbo Hotel saw promotional materials that directed them to a page about the HPV campaign which contained frequently asked questions and offered a one-to-one web chat with an NHS Direct advisor.
Once a week from 4pm to 6pm, Health Information Advisors (HIAs) from NHS Direct were available in one of the ‘rooms’ in Habbo Hotel for a ‘one to many’ chat session, like a group question and answer session. The HIA held eight sessions during the 2 hour slot, each lasting 15 minutes.
NHS Direct also provided, at the request of the Department of Health, a dedicated helpline with live advisors and took a total of 4,089 calls during the 2 months of the campaign.
Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said: “We want as many girls as possible in the target age group to benefit from the cervical cancer vaccine. It is one of the biggest public health campaigns in recent history and means that up to 400 girls’ lives will be saved each year.”
