Over half of Pennine Acute Trust staff get their flu jab in and counting

Staff at The Pennine Acute Trust’s Occupational Health Department with Flu campaign material

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So far, in just seven weeks, over half of the staff working at hospitals run by The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust have had their seasonal ‘flu vaccination in efforts to protect themselves, their patients and their families in preparation for winter.

Figures recorded by the Trust on Friday 16 November showed that over 4,700 clinical and non-clinical staff had voluntarily had their flu jab.

Staff include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, community health care professionals, support staff, receptionists, managers, catering and clerical staff and Trust volunteers.

The Trust’s annual staff seasonal flu vaccination programme was launched on 1st October by the Trust’s Director of Nursing, Marian Carroll, in effort to vaccinate as many of its 9,000 staff as possible.

Marian Carroll, Director of Nursing for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Influenza is dangerous, highly contagious and largely preventable. As NHS staff, I believe it is our collective responsibility to ensure our patients are safe. We have a crucial role to play in preventing a serious flu outbreak and helping to ensure that everyone understands the importance of the flu vaccination programme here across our hospitals.

“As clinical NHS staff I believe we all play an important role in promoting the need for both our colleagues and those in our care to get vaccinated. The flu vaccination is safe, highly effective and is being offered free to all our staff.”

For the general public, if you think you need a flu vaccination, check with your GP or local pharmacist. Most GP surgeries run special vaccination sessions for patients.