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.
