Lancashire NHS Staff Vaccination Rates Remain Low Amid Winter Surge

Lancashire: It turns out that only about a third of frontline staff in most hospitals got their flu shots before the recent wave of infections. And even fewer, just one in ten in some areas, received the autumn Covid booster. This is concerning, especially since both viruses were expected to hit hard this winter.

With hospital services under serious strain lately, the NHS had been pushing for vaccinations. They offered free flu and Covid shots to all hospital workers who interact with patients since early October. To make it easier, they set up special drop-in clinics and even sent out ‘roving’ vaccinators to different departments.

Despite these efforts, the usual public health message from the NHS didn’t seem to resonate this year, even with their own staff. By the end of November, the flu vaccination rates were pretty low: 30.7% at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, 31.6% at East Lancashire Hospitals, 37.9% at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, and 50.1% at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay. The North West average was just 33.6%.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation had recommended starting the flu jab program on October 3rd to ensure most vaccinations were done by the end of November. This timing was meant to provide the best protection during the high-risk months of December and January.

In the first week of this month, hospitals across England saw an average of 5,408 patients daily with flu, which is nearly four times higher than last year. While many hospitals declared critical incidents due to the pressure, Lancashire’s four acute trusts managed to avoid that so far.

As for the Covid booster, the numbers were even lower. By the end of November, only 11.8% of staff at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals had received it, with similar low rates at other trusts. The North West average for the booster was 14.9%.

The previous government had considered making the initial Covid vaccinations mandatory for healthcare workers but backed off due to concerns about losing too many staff. They did emphasize that unvaccinated health and social care workers had a “professional responsibility” to get vaccinated.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reached out to Lancashire’s acute hospital trusts for their take on the vaccination rates. A spokesperson from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals mentioned they ran a comprehensive campaign to offer vaccinations, including regular communications and roving teams.

Marie Forshaw from Blackpool Teaching Hospitals noted that they’ve vaccinated 40% of their staff with the flu shot, which is in line with other trusts. They’re making sure vaccinations are accessible until the end of March.

Alison Balson from University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay shared that their flu vaccination rate is currently at 50%. They’ve dedicated over 1,300 hours to promote vaccination across their sites, emphasizing the importance of keeping everyone safe.

East Lancashire Hospitals didn’t provide a comment, but it’s clear that the push for vaccinations is ongoing as the winter season continues.