About Dr Cath
I am currently an independent Consultant in Public Health working with local public health teams in local authorities. For nine years, I was the Principal Public Health Advisor for Commissioning Early Years, Immunisations and Vaccination Services at Public Health England (London). Between March 2020 and October 2021, I worked as a Consultant in Public Health/Public Health Advisor in Public Health England's national advice, guidance and expertise team (PHAGE) on the COVID-19 incident. In the past, I have also been an interim Director of Public Health and a Consultant in Children's Public Health. I have specialised in healthcare public health but I also have a long standing interest in the public health issues of childhood as they relate to children and parents and children as future adults.
I hold an honorary associate professorship at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. As well as academic collaborations, I am an educational supervisor for public health registrars and a clinical supervisor for GP and other medical registrars on public health placements. I am a Faculty Advisor and Faculty Assessor for the Faculty of Public Health.
I have been an expert committee member on NICE Quality Standards for Improving Vaccination Uptake in under 19s (2016) and a commissioner representative on the NICE Guideline Committee for management of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women (2018) and the NICE Guideline Committee for Pelvic Dysfunction (2021).
I have written articles on public health topics for a number of magazines including C'llr (2007-2017), Public Health Matters and Public Health Today.
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Magazine articles in last two years (2020-22):
Heffernan, C. 2021. Challenges for delivering the Winter Flu Jab 2021/22. Independent Nurse, December 2021.
Heffernan, C. 2021. COVID-19 vaccination: what's next? Independent Nurse, October 2021.
Heffernan, C. 2021. Shingles: The Forgotten vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent Nurse, July 2021.
Heffernan, C. 2021. How to manage COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Nursing in Practice
Heffernan, C. 2020. Tackling Vaccine Hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent Nurse, 20 Dec 2020:Vol 12.
Heffernan, C. 2020. Delivering the 'flu vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent Nurse, 19 November 2020:Vol 11.
Heffernan, C. 2020. Delivering immunisations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Independent Nurse, 19 Aug 2020:Vol 8.
Peer reviewed publications in last 5 years (2017-22):
Kauffmann F, Heffernan C, Meurice F, Ota M, Vetter V, Casabona G. 2021. Measles, mumps, rubella prevention: how can we do better? Expert Rev Vaccines. 2021;20(7):811-826.
Skirrow
H, Flynn C, Heller A, Heffernan C, Mounier-Jack S, Chantler T. 2021. Delivering routine immunisations in
London during the Covid-19 pandemic: lessons for future vaccine delivery. British
Journal of General Practice Online
Ellis N, Walker-Todd E, Heffernan C. 2020. Exploring what influences childhood immunisation decision-making in London's Gypsy, Roma and Travelling Communities. British Journal of Nursing: https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2020.29.14.822
Rana S,
Saavedra-Campos M, Perkins S,
Mohammed-Klein R, Wright A, Cordery R, Bell A, Heffernan C, Meltzer M, Chow, Y, Verlander N,
Balasegaram S. 2020. A large measles outbreak with multiple healthcare exposures, London, February-June 2016: public health response and factors associated with cases being isolated on arrival to healthcare settings. Public Health, Vol 183:55-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2020.02.015.
Chantler T, Bell S, Saliva V, Heffernan C, Raj T, Ramsey M, Mourier-Jack, S. 2019. Is partnership the answer? Delivering the national immunisation programme in the new English health system: a mixed methods study. Public Health https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6400-6.
Bosanquent N, Davies T, Donovan H, Heffernan C, Kassianos G, Kirham K, Lonergan K, Nicholson E. Vaccinating outside Section 7a immunisation programmes: who, how and why? Practice Nursing, Vol 30 no 10: 492-494 https://doi.org/10.12968/pnur.2019.30.10.492
McGeown H, Moore J & Heffernan C. 2019. Embedding commissioner quality visits to general practices to improve childhood immunisations: lessons learned. British Journal of Healthcare Management Vol 25, No 1.
Seok J, Heffernan C, Mounier-Jack S, Chantler T. 2018. Perspectives of vaccinators on the factors affecting uptake of meningococcal ACWY vaccine amongst school leavers in London. Public Health, Vol 64: 128-133.
Rockliffe L, McBride E, Heffernan C, Foster, A.2018. Factors affecting delivery of the HPV vaccination: a focus group study with NHS School Aged Vaccination teams in London. Journal of School Nursing , Vol 27: 434-446.
Lonergan K, Latif A, Bailey J, Moore J, Beaney T, Heffernan,C. 2018.Implementing the evidence: are call/recall systems for immunisations feasible in general practice? Vaccines and Immunology, Vol 1, Issue 1.
Junghans C, Heffernan C, Valli A, Gibson K. 2018.Short Report: Mass vaccination response to a measles outbreak is not always possible -Lessons from a London Prison.J Epidemiology & Infection 146(13):1689-1691.
McGeown H, Heffernan C & Gibson K. 2018. Perspectives from CQC ‘outstanding’ practices: How to have good uptake of vaccination services. Practice Nursing 2018, Vol 29 (3):2-6. https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/10.12968/pnur...
Junghans C, Lonergan K, Heffernan C & Gibson K. 2018. Vaccinations not covered under Section 7a – Who Pays? British Journal of General Practice Feb 2018:92-93.
Heffernan C, Jones L, Ritchie B, Erens B, Chalabi Z & Mays N. 2018. Local health and social care responses to implementing the national cold weather plan. Journal of Public Health, 40(3): 461-466.
Winslade C, Heffernan, C. & Atchison C. 2017. Experiences and perspectives of mothers of the pertussis vaccination programme in London. Public Health Vol 146, 10-14.Full list of publications can be found at Research Gate and ORCID.