Only around a third of frontline staff in most Lancashire hospitals had received a flu vaccine prior to the recent surge in infections, figures have revealed.
Even fewer had had the autumn Covid booster jab – barely one in 10 in some areas – in spite of the two viruses being part of the so-called “quademic” of illness that was widely predicted to hit the NHS this winter. Hospital services have been left under severe pressure in recent weeks after that warning came to pass.
All hospital workers who have contact with patients – regardless of whether they are medics or are in non-clinical roles – were offered free flu and Covid shots from the beginning of October under the nationwide NHS vaccination programme.
Lancashire hospitals have laid on special drop-in clinics and even dispatched ‘roving’ vaccinators to tour different departments administering jabs, in order to make it as convenient as possible for staff to get some degree of protection for themselves – and their patients.
However, it seems the annual public health message delivered by the NHS – urging those eligible for vaccination to take up the offer – failed to hit home even with many of its own staff this year.
By the end of November – the latest date for which NHS England statistics are available – the proportion of frontline Lancashire hospital staff to have had a flu vaccine stood at:
***30.7 percent at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (although the figure has since risen to 40 percent, the trust says);
***31.6 percent at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (which runs the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General);
***37.9 percent at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (which runs the Royal Preston and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital):
***50.1 percent at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (which runs the Royal Lancaster).
The North West average was 33.6 percent. The figures do not include any staff who chose to get a vaccine via their GP or pharmacy – although that number might well be small given the convenience of the options available at their place of work.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation had recommended the flu jab programme begin on 3rd October so that the majority of vaccinations across eligible groups – including the hospital workforce – would be completed by the end of November.
The UK Health Security Agency said in guidance issued in the autumn that the timing would provide “optimal protection during the highest risk period” of December and January.
Across England during the first week of this month, there was an average of 5,408 patients a day in hospital with flu – almost four times higher than the same week last year. More than a dozen hospitals nationwide have declared critical incidents because of the pressures they are facing – although Lancashire’s four acute trusts have not so far been among them.
Meanwhile, an even smaller fraction of the county’s hospital workers have had the latest Covid booster jab. By the end of November, the take-up rate was:
***11.8 percent at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals;
***12.6 percent at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay;
***13.6 percent at East Lancashire Hospitals;
***18.9 percent at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.
The average across the North West was 14.9 percent.
The last government had planned to make the initial two-shot Covid vaccination mandatory for healthcare workers from April 2022, but dropped the plan amid fears it would lead to the loss of too many staff.
But it said those working in health and social care who were unvaccinated had “a professional responsibility” to have the jabs and what was, at that time, the first booster.
There was an average of more than 1,100 patients with Covid in England’s hospitals each day during the first week of January.
What the hospitals say
The Local Democracy Reporting Service approached each of Lancashire’s acute hospital trusts for comment on the flu and Covid vaccine rates amongst their staff.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “Prior to Christmas, we ran a comprehensive campaign to offer vaccinations to colleagues including regular communications, roving vaccination teams across our sites and regular drop-in clinics over a number of months. Next week, we will also be offering colleagues at the Royal Preston site the chance to drop in to receive their jabs.”
Marie Forshaw, acting executive director of nursing and midwifery and quality at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, said: “Since our vaccination programme started in October, we have vaccinated 40 percent of our substantive staff with the flu vaccine which is broadly in line with many other NHS trusts. These colleagues work in both our hospital and community settings which span across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
“The vaccination programme, which also includes Covid jabs, is available to all colleagues until the end of March and the trust has worked hard to ensure that people can access appointments in various ways. This has included drop-in clinics and roaming vaccinators who visit areas upon request.
“Vaccinations are an important part of the way we help to protect patients, staff and visitors during the winter months and beyond. This is why the trust continues to make every effort to make the vaccines available to not only substantive staff but our contractors and other teams – this is in addition to the figures shown.
“I would also encourage members of the public to get vaccinated and to remember that if anyone does feel unwell with flu symptoms, please do not visit a loved one in hospital until you are feeling well again – this will help us prevent the spread of flu and other seasonal conditions in our hospitals.”
Alison Balson, chief people officer at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMBT), said: “Our staff vaccination figure for the flu currently stands at 50 percent.
“To achieve this, we have put more than 1,300 hours over the 24-hour shift patterns, seven days a week, into going out to all of our hospital and community sites to advocate for vaccination. We have found that consistency is the key to getting as many colleagues as possible vaccinated.
“At UHMBT, we have a mix of drop-in sessions for our staff at our three main hospital sites, and we have roving vaccinators who visit our wards and sites throughout the Morecambe Bay area. Our main aim is always to keep patients, families, communities and our staff safe and well; our vaccination programme plays a hugely important part in that.
“We have been promoting vaccination opportunities for our colleagues in our newsletters, on the staff intranet on posters and via staff briefings since the autumn of 2024, and colleagues can get vaccinated for the flu and Covid until the end of March 2025.
“We encourage anyone who has the symptoms of a winter virus to stay at home, keep warm and drink plenty of fluids. We respectfully urge members of the public who have symptoms of a virus not to visit loved ones in hospital to protect everyone from infection.”
East Lancashire Hospitals did not offer a comment.
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