NHS urges all staff to get flu jab this winter
Figures show that last winter the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust had one of the highest uptakes of the flu vaccine in England.
Almost 90% of front-line NHS workers at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust were vaccinated against the flu last year.
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Hide AdPublic Health England figures show that 3,418 front-line healthcare workers at the trust received the flu vaccine between September 2017 and February 2018.
That’s an uptake rate of 89%, much higher than the England average of 69%.
But 406 of the 3,824 doctors, nurses, clinical staff and support workers with direct patient contact were not vaccinated - during the worst flu season in a decade.
As healthcare workers prepare for another difficult winter, NHS bosses have warned that staff refusing the vaccine this year could be banned from treating patients.
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Hide AdThe NHS said making vaccination “near universal” is to protect patients in higher-risk clinical environments, like neonatal intensive care and cancer wards, and limit their exposure to unvaccinated staff.
Up to 50% of people with the flu may not even know they have it - but for patients with weakened immune systems or respiratory problems, the flu can be life-threatening.
The NHS said that trusts should “take appropriate steps to maintain the safety of the service”, including transferring unvaccinated workers away from high-risk patients.