Citi Health partners with Amref Health Africa

As a business which believes in the power of preventative healthcare, Citi Health is always keen to support the work of organisations which provide protection to communities without access to vital healthcare services.   

For five years we were proud to donate to UNICEF’s ‘Get a jab, Give a Jab’ campaign. Last year, when that programme came to an end, we wanted to keep contributing towards healthcare initiatives for communities at risk and, as a female-run business, to support women and children within those communities.  

To that end we are thrilled to say we will now be working with Amref Health Africa, a charity which has been changing lives across Africa since 1957:

·      Amref works with some of the most remote and marginalised communities in 35 countries on the African continent; they have reached over 110 million individuals and trained 12 million health workers to date.

·      Immunisation is a foundational intervention in the vast majority of Amref’s projects, but particularly those focused on maternal, newborn and child health.

·      They believe, as do we, that change must be community-led. To this end, Amref works often with women and girls, unlocking their potential to effect lasting change for themselves, their families, and their wider communities.

·      Amref tailors its approach to each individual community: in Kenya it has fully-equipped mobile clinic units delivering vaccination and other essential health services, while in Ethiopia it provides midwives in remote areas with backpack-kits for essential perinatal care.

From now on, Citi Health’s annual donation to Amref will help to fund programmes bringing vaccines and vital healthcare to families living in remote communities across Africa. This means every time an organisation books a vaccination clinic with us, they know they are not only protecting their own workforce, but also protecting communities at risk by helping Amref to deliver its life-changing health services to those most in need.  

We look forward to sharing more on the incredible work Amref does in due course.

For further information please contact Gayle Anderson gayle@citihealth.co.uk 

Flu cases surge as winter infections double down

As the new year gets underway flu continues to be a leading cause of hospital admissions due to respiratory illness this winter, as the start of January saw more than 1,300 people hospitalised with flu across England with the figure increasing by more than a third over the holiday period, according to figures released by the NHS. Eighty one flu patients were also reported as receiving critical care that week, representing an increase of almost 70% compared with the previous week in December.

The latest update for this month also shows 1,416 patients in hospital with flu in the week ending January 14 while demand for beds remains high, with around 19 in every 20 adult beds occupied.

Meanwhile, a leading virologist has stated that he and his colleagues in the East of England have witnessed many more cases of influenza than Covid so far this winter. Dr Chris Smith from the University of Cambridge, said his team had tested people across the region to find out what had caused them to fall ill: "The most prominent diagnoses is influenza,” he said. “Flu is the major player although Covid is still out there. We are also dealing with something of an immunity debt,” Dr Smith explained.

“Because we haven’t been exposed to as many of these infections as we normally would have in the past few years due to successive lockdowns, they able to spread more efficiently throughout the population.. It is also possible to catch two, or even three, respiratory infections at the same time, which makes people feel absolutely dreadful” he added.

Prof Julian Redhead, NHS England’s national clinic director for urgent care, said the health service was starting 2024 in a difficult position: “As we struggle to recover services and cope with heavy demand, as ever I would urge the public to get their flu and Covid vaccines if they are eligible.’

Find out more about booking flu vaccinations for your workforce this winter with our Citi Health on-site flu clinics.

New Covid variant sparks concern as flu season looms

The Government has announced it is bringing this year’s programme of flu and Covid-19 vaccinations for at-risk groups forward to September, as a new variant of COVID-19 is found circulating in the population with flu season on the horizon.

Last year, flu season resulted in 14,500 excess deaths across the UK during a winter which saw the spread of the disease began early and peak quickly, with hospitalisations across all age groups higher than usual thanks to reduced immunity. This year the worry is that a previously unseen variant of Covid-19, known as the Pirola variant, which is already circulating in the population, could put further strain on the NHS this winter just as flu season hits its stride.

A government statement said: “The government has decided to bring forward its flu and COVID-19 autumn vaccination campaign, as a precautionary measure to ensure those people who are most vulnerable and at higher risk of severe disease have the best available protection. It can take a few weeks for protection to build after a vaccine, so getting vaccinated ahead of the winter season, when respiratory viruses tend to peak, is important.”

The NHS also reiterated the importance of its respiratory virus vaccination programme: “The NHS winter flu and Covid-19 vaccination programme provides vital protection to those eligible and their families over winter, keeping people from developing serious illnesses, and helping to minimise hospitalisations during busy winter months.” Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England Medical Director added: “Vaccinations are our best defence against flu and Covid-19 ahead of what could be a very challenging winter.”

Those who are eligible for a free flu vaccination this year are

·      Those aged 65 years and over

·      Those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups

·      Pregnant women

·      Children from two years old to up to year 11

·      Those in long-stay residential care homes

·      Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person

·      Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals and frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme.

For those aren’t in these groups but who are offered an employer-led flu vaccination scheme, it is more important than ever to ensure you’re personally protected against influenza this winter. Getting vaccinated means you can also protect those people around you, and if the flu season hits as hard and fast as it did last year, as many people as possibly will want to have that peace of mind.  

The NHS is doing its bit to protect the most vulnerable people from falling ill this winter; meanwhile in the private sector Citi Health is working with employers to protect workforces across London and the UK from the flu. From September to January Citi Health works with employers to offer workplace flu vaccinations to their employees at a place and time of their convenience, as a way of protecting workers  from the potentially devastating effects of the flu. Find out more about booking workplace flu vaccinations at https://www.citihealth.co.uk/flu-vaccinations.

Government looks at increasing access to Occupational Health

Occupational health has been in the news again as the Government continues to look for ways to encourage employers to provide occupational health services to their workers, in an effort to see more people in the UK back at work.

Since 2020 a growing number of people have become absent from work due to long-term illnesses, and this combined with a rush of early retirees has resulted in fewer people of working age actively in the workforce. There are now 630,000 more economically inactive working-age adults – neither looking for a job or in work – than before Covid hit and both the public and private sectors are wrestling with a severe shortage of workers, which is now harming the economy, according to the Bank of England.

Back in March Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt outlined a series of measures in his spring budget which focused on improving access to OH services. He said the Government wants to introduce policies “that encourage employers to support people back into work, to work more, and to prevent them falling out of work”. The Government pledged to “boost occupational health coverage” and is currently considering ways of providing OH across the board for employees; in the UK currently only half of the population has access to OH services - a fraction of the coverage offered in Germany or France which is closer to 100%.

Some ideas which have been put forward include subsidising small businesses to provide OH services to their staff and introducing annual health checks for those in work. Chief Executive at the Society of Occupational Medicine Nick Pahl said “We welcome the subsidy for small business as it will lead to further appreciation and knowledge about OH by employers.

“The occupational health sector needs to both take responsibility and have support to increase its capacity to meet the increase in demand,” he added.

Whatever the Government decides, the recognition of the positive impact occupational health has on the workforce is important. At Citi Health we regularly assess employees in order to help them return to work, and you can read more about how our experienced professionals conduct our occupational health assessments in our dedicated Q&A.

New Government fund brings focus onto the benefits of occupational health

A £1 million fund is to be given towards new ideas to boost health and welfare at work for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – as the importance of occupational health is again a focus for Ministers.

Successful bidders will receive up to £100,000 to back their projects from 19 May 2023, with the Government looking for innovative solutions to drive better access for SMEs and the self-employed to Occupational Health (OH) services.

Applicants are being required to show how they would deliver improvements to OH, harnessing technology such as artificial intelligence or data collection, to deliver better health outcomes for employees of SMEs.

The initiative is a joint venture between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), and applications are being accepted until March 15.

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP, commented: “Good occupational health within workplaces is vital in supporting our overall health and standard of living. We spend so much of our lives at work, and it is imperative that our employers can give us the support we need to maintain our physical and mental health. This in turn means we can give our best at work.

“Through the launch of our new £1 million fund, I look forward to seeing innovative, workable solutions to help SMEs deliver the best for their employees, creating healthier, welfare-driven working environments that will ultimately drive growth and improve people’s working lives.”

As the Government pushes for new ideas around occupational health it’s important to remember to take care of your own workforce. Citi Health provides full occupational health assessments for your staff which are easy to organise, professionally conducted and utterly comprehensive – just get in touch to find out how we can help.

Flu season 2023-2024: Get your workplace prepared

Flu vaccinations are the best way to protect your workforce from flu this winter

As we look back with the last flu season in our rear window we can see that the NHS did another heroic job of caring for people with flu in the winter. Back in January the service was swamped with people as hospital admissions for flu were rapidly increasing. Indeed Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said in a statement on January 9: “There has been a dramatic increase in hospital admissions for flu and we are seeing the highest levels of hospital admissions we’ve seen in at least a decade. There are currently over 5,000 hospital beds a day taken up by flu patients, compared to just 50 this time last year.

“This week, I have visited hospitals and emergency departments to see first-hand the operational action taking place to ensure patients are receiving the right care and I continue to work closely with NHS England to prioritise this issue.

“If you are eligible, the best thing you can do to protect yourself and ease pressure on the NHS is to join the 19.9 million people that have had their vaccine”.

Those eligible for the flu jab last year included all people aged 50 and over, health and social care workers, people aged six months and over and considered “at risk” due to another medical condition, as well as pregnant women and children aged two and three.

Children receive their vaccination via a nasal spray and are encouraged to get the vaccine to not only protect themselves but reduce transmissions to others at risk.

Flu cases in hospital jumped up by almost a half (47%) in the first week of January, as staff in NHS 111 answered a near record number of calls.

Last winter the NHS had prepared extensively for winter and industrial action, with plans in place to manage rising demand including around the clock system control centres, additional bed capacity, more mental health support for ambulance services and community falls services, but the message is clear for Flu season 2023/2024: getting vaccinated protects you and your family from the worst of the effects of the virus, and in a workplace setting vaccinations protect against staff illness and absence, as well as contributing to a sense of wellbeing.

The best time to organise staff workplace flu vaccinations is in the spring so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange workplace flu vaccinations for your staff this autumn.