This year, WentWest is celebrating ten years of running the Immunisation Bike Competition in Western Sydney. Since 2011, WentWest has partnered with local general practices to promote childhood immunisation, vaccinating 16,422 children in the past decade. By taking part, practices help protect children and the wider community from serious diseases that can cause ongoing health conditions.
Through the campaign, every child who receives their 12-month, 18-month or four-year-old immunisation from a participating practice enters into an annual prize draw to win a bike and helmet. Practices are invited to participate in the yearly competition to ensure that children are immunised on time, communities are protected, and families are aware of the importance of timely vaccinations.
Registration is now open for practices wishing to participate in the 2022 Immunisation Bike Competition. All campaign materials will be sent out before the end of 2021, ready for the competition start date on 1 January 2022.
Western Sydney general practices can sign-up to participate via the online Expression Of Interest (EOI) form here.
Once signed up, your Practice Development Team contact will provide you with all of the necessary collateral to run and raise awareness of this campaign.
Making it easier for GPs to participate
How to Participate
General practices in the Western Sydney region can sign-up via the online Expression Of Interest (EOI) form.
Campaign Collateral
WentWest will provide each participating practice with the following branded collateral:
- Campaign posters
- Entry form box
- Competition entry forms
- Online competition entry form (available through a new QR code and online form)
- QR code cards for online entry form
- Colouring-in book, pencils, stickers and bravery certificates for children
If you have any additional questions about signing up, please speak with your Practice Development Team lead.
Trophies for Practices
To celebrate ten years of running the Immunisation Bike Competition, WentWest will award trophies to participating practices that have made significant steps to boost childhood immunisation rates in our region.
Progress over the Past Decade
From 2011 to 2021, childhood immunisation rates in Western Sydney have dramatically increased through the Immunisation Bike Competition. In 2011, 53 initial general practices signed up to participate in the campaign, vaccinating 385 children. Ten years later in 2021, 196 practices took part, collectively vaccinating 3,520 children. This was an increase of almost 25%.
The increase in childhood vaccination rates due to the Immunisation Bike Competition has improved Western Sydney’s childhood immunisation rate as a whole. The percentage of fully immunised five-year-olds in Western Sydney has increased from 90% in 2011[1], to 94.7% in 2021[2]. Immunisation rates in twelve-month-olds have also increased. Despite these rising figures, Western Sydney childhood immunisation rates remain below the state average. Advocacy from GPs can significantly impact parents’ decisions to vaccinate their children, and the bike competition is just one way to incentivise childhood vaccination. GPs are encouraged to remind patients about the benefits of vaccination and that if enough people in the community are immunised against a disease, the infection can no longer spread from person to person.
To further increase childhood vaccination rates in Western Sydney, WentWest encourages all practices to sign-up to the Immunisation Bike Competition.
[1] National Health Performance Authority (2013), More than 70,000 Australian children are not fully immunised, Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/5264fd9b-3566-4a77-a071-2e0cc348efc8/aihw-mhc-nhpa-02-immunisation-rates-children-2011-12-media_backgrounder-april-2013.pdf.aspx
[2] NSW Department of Health (2021), Children fully immunised in NSW by local government area 2020-21, NSW Government, accessed 19 November 2021, available at: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/coverage-by-lga.aspx#wslhd
Sign-up now and be part of next year’s successful campaign.
25 November 2021