A successful campaign to improve dramatically on the number of staff vaccinated against flu has been recognised by NHS Employers.

The national body has awarded a Flu Fighters Award to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust working in conjunction with Working Well which provides Occupational Health Services to the NHS in Gloucestershire.

This year the Trust, which runs Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals, and Working Well were determined to significantly increase the number of staff taking up the opportunity to have the flu vaccination, also to improve understanding about the myths and facts about the vaccine.

The number of hospital staff vaccinated in the first five weeks of the campaign since it launched on October 3rd is more than 2,500, and rising rapidly, and an extra 800 vaccines have been ordered so that the vaccination programme can continue into November.

In 2010 there were around 2,385 staff vaccinated from a total of around 7,500 in five months..

Across the county as a whole Working Well have also been vaccinating GPs and frontline NHS staff working for the Primary Care Trust, Care Services and 2gether.

Trust Nursing Director Maggie Arnold said: “I am extremely pleased that the hard work in this area has been recognised, everyone, particularly the Working Well team, have been going flat out to deliver these vaccines and make sure that staff, and in turn patients, are protected.”

The flu vaccination programme was planned and staffed by the Working Well team which provides occupational health services to the NHS in Gloucestershire. This small team decided to build on the approach they took last year – providing drop-in clinics and walkabout clinics where the occupational health nurses wearing high visibility jackets, visited departments to provide the flu jab ‘on location’.

The team also agreed a ‘special offer’ to vaccinate groups of 10 or more staff if they were already together in one place, for a team meeting, for example.

The Working Well team also deliver the vaccine at the county’s community hospitals and to Primary Care Trust and 2gether mental health trust staff.

Dr Sue Hunt, Director, Clinical Director for Working Well, said: “The response from hospital staff this year has been phenomenal and I’m proud of our team for really pulling out all the stops. People think of flu as a mild winter illness, but the reality can be devastating. Protecting staff is not just about protecting those individuals, but protecting patients and keeping the NHS running in the winter.”

This year’s campaign within the Hospitals Trust got off to a flying start with matrons, senior doctors, scientists and therapists rolling up their sleeves and leading by example. Messages about when, where and why to have the vaccine were vigorously promoted.

The staff vaccination campaign runs alongside the public flu campaign, urging people in at risk groups to contact their GP and get their flu vaccine.

The Department of Health recommends the vaccine for everyone who falls into the following groups:

• people aged 65 years or over
• pregnant women in any stage of pregnancy
• people living in a residential or nursing home
• the main carer for an older or disabled person

People are also advised to have the flu vaccine if they have any of the following conditions :

• a heart problem
• a chest complaint or breathing difficulties including, bronchitis, emphysema
• a kidney disease
• lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as steroid medication or cancer treatment)
• a liver disease
• had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
• diabetes
• a neurological condition e.g. multiple sclerosis (MS) or cerebral palsy
• a problem with, or removal of, your spleen e.g. sickle cell disease

The flu vaccine is free to everyone in these groups.