Trust staff arm themselves against flu

Staff at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust are preparing for the winter season by rolling up their sleeves and having their annual flu vaccinations.

For this year’s flu campaign, a record number of staff have volunteered to become Peer Vaccinators. This means that staff can receive the flu jab from a colleague who works in their location, encouraging more people to be vaccinated without having to take time out of their working day.

For the majority of people who catch it, flu is unpleasant but not life-threatening. Yet for others, it can lead to chest infections, severe complications and even death.

Last year over 200 patients displaying flu symptoms were admitted to our hospitals. Patients aged from new born to 95 were admitted with a primary diagnosis of flu, which shows that the virus can affect people of all ages.

This is why staff in our Trust are working hard to make sure that they do everything they can to avoid the spread of the virus, including having their annual vaccine.

Brian Griffiths, Trust Occupational Health Manager, said: “The flu virus can spread rapidly and can cause complications for some of our already unwell patients. This is why we encourage our staff to be vaccinated annually against the common strains of flu, to try and protect our patients in whatever ways we can.

“Last year 72.2%% of Trust staff voluntarily had the flu vaccine, which is well above the national average of 68.7% and we are aiming to achieve 75% this year.”