The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England are urging healthcare professionals – clinical and non-clinical – to come forward for their flu jab and Covid booster, amid ‘lower than expected’ uptake.
In all, 24% of NHS workers have received their flu vaccine and 14% have received their Covid vaccine, figures released last week showed.
GPs have a slightly higher uptake than other healthcare professionals but it was still only 42% for flu and 23.6% for Covid. Uptake is highest in the South West of England.
It comes as GP practices in England were left confused by the omission of GPs and frontline staff eligibility for autumn Covid boosters in the Green Book.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) this year decided that the national autumn vaccination offer would extend to all primary and community healthcare staff involved in direct patient care, despite not being recommended by the JCVI.
This means GPs and patient-facing staff are eligible for the autumn Covid booster and can book an appointment via the National Booking Service if their practice does not have sufficient stock.
UKHSA said it had expected more healthcare professionals to come forward during November and into December but that the level of uptake at this time of year has been ‘lower than we expect to see’.
Yesterday, NHS England sent out a letter to PCNs, ICBs and trusts reiterating the message that employers should ‘keep encouraging eligible colleagues to come forward for their flu and Covid-19 vaccines’.
‘Both the flu and Covid-19 vaccines should be offered to all eligible frontline health and social care professionals, including clinical and non-clinical staff who have direct contact with patients, ahead of winter’, it said.
It has asked organisations to ensure that local vaccination arrangements remain in place for eligible frontline professionals until Friday 31 January 2025 for Covid-19, and Monday 31 March 2025 for flu, including through local booking systems where appropriate.
To encourage staff uptake, NHS England also suggested employers offer drop-in sessions so they can ask any questions they have, promote awareness at team meetings and in newsletters, as well as make use of campaign materials aimed at healthcare workers, which can be found here.
‘Larger provider organisations should seek to maintain a wide-ranging offer, with options out-of-hours and on multiple sites, backed up by drop-in sessions, pop-up or roving vaccinations,’ the commissioner said.
Surveillance figures from last week showed flu positivity increasing from 3.9% to 6.5% in a week, with hospitals seeing more emergency department admissions for flu.
Dr Suzanna McDonald, national lead for the influenza immunisation programme at UKHSA, said: ‘We understand how busy healthcare workers are at this time of year and coping with winter illnesses adds increased pressure. This is why we are urging all staff to get vaccinated and protect themselves, their patients and their families from these illnesses.
We encourage all healthcare workers to come forward for vaccination, to ensure they are protected heading into the peak season and as we approach Christmas – don’t let these nasty illnesses spoil your plans either, if you’re celebrating.”
