Major an infection caution as file selection of NHS personnel reject flu vaccine – uptake falls from just about 80 to 37% in 4 years

Hospitals have been crippled by way of flu outbreaks this wintry weather after file numbers of frontline NHS employees avoided the jab, the Mail can disclose.

Fewer than 4 in ten personnel (37 in line with cent) gained the vaccine, with charges plummeting to lower than one in ten (8.8 in line with cent) in some spaces.

Patient teams described the extent of uptake as ‘shocking’ and accused refuseniks of negligently fuelling illness and striking susceptible other people at higher possibility of loss of life.

The rock bottom got here as overwhelming call for for care pressured over a dozen trusts to claim ‘critical incidents’ and Britain’s best physician warned of ‘skyrocketing’ instances of flu.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the then nationwide scientific director of NHS England, suggested sufferers to get the vaccine announcing it will offer protection to them and others from the virus.

Speaking final December, he mentioned: ‘The flu vaccine is our best defence against winter viruses, and it also helps to reduce pressure on hospitals.’

But new figures acquired by way of the Liberal Democrats and shared completely with the Mail display maximum NHS personnel did not apply their employer’s personal recommendation.

The percentage of healthcare employees, equivalent to docs and nurses, receiving a flu vaccine over wintry weather fell from 64 in line with cent in 2016/17, when knowledge was once first amassed, to simply 37 in line with cent this 12 months.

That is a file low and a fall of 26.7 share issues. There has been a marked fall in vaccine uptake from the height of 2020/21 the place it hit 76 in line with cent.

Previous plans to make the vaccine obligatory have been dropped amid a backlash from critics, who claimed the scientific intervention must be down to private selection.

But Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, which campaigns for aged sufferers, mentioned: ‘The NHS should make having the flu jab a condition of employment for frontline staff unless an individual has medical grounds for exemption.

‘The shockingly low rates of uptake show a certain arrogance – a total disregard for patient safety – and puts vulnerable people at increased risk of death.

‘Most NHS staff who catch flu will probably be OK but the people they are caring for may not survive if they pass it to them. It’s private negligence.

‘Hospitals will have fared better over winter if more staff had bothered to get a flu vaccine, which we know is effective.’

The ranges of flu vaccine uptake various vastly between NHS Trusts, regardless of it being presented to frontline NHS personnel at no cost national.

The lowest uptake within the nation was once at Camden and Islington NHS Trust, the place simply 8.8 in line with cent of all healthcare employees had gained a jab.

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices

This was once adopted by way of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust on 9.5 in line with cent after which Central and North West London Trust on 15.5 in line with cent.

In general, 62 of the 184 NHS Trusts which had reported knowledge for this wintry weather noticed lower than a 3rd in their personnel take-up the flu vaccine, in step with analysis by way of the House of Commons Library for the Liberal Democrats.

There had been some drastic falls in some NHS Trusts within the selection of personnel taking over the vaccine lately.

In Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, there was once a fall of 60.5 share issues within the percentage of personnel who gained the flu vaccine this wintry weather when compared with 2016/17, with simply 15.7 in line with cent of personnel now vaccinated.

At Lewisham and Greenwich there was once a 59.5 share level fall and at Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital it was once 59.2 share issues.

Since 2016/17 the selection of healthcare employees turning in direct affected person care has grown by way of greater than 350,000 to just about 950,000, a leap of 45 in line with cent.

But regardless of this upward thrust in headcount, the selection of personnel taking over the flu vaccine fell by way of 76,000 (15.3 in line with cent) over the similar duration, from 496,000 to 420,000.

Flu sufferers occupied health facility beds for a file selection of days this wintry weather – over 315,000 when compared with round 174,000 in 2023/24 and 211,000 in 2022/23.

Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat’s well being and social care spokesperson

This contributed to mattress occupancy charges hitting 96 in line with cent at issues this 12 months, whilst a ‘safe’ fee is regarded as to be 85 in line with cent.

Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat’s well being and social care spokesperson, mentioned: ‘Many A&Es resembled a war-zone at times during the winter.

‘People were waiting in intolerable pain, treated in corridors and dying in glorified cupboards.

‘The system is broken from top to bottom, with hospitals unable to move people into the community because of a lack of care provision, leading to deadly backlogs in our hospitals.

‘The surge in those staying in hospital because they had flu, leading to fewer beds for those coming into A&E was a major problem contributing to these awful scenes.

‘That’s why it’s completely necessary that the Government boosts vaccine uptake via a coordinated consciousness marketing campaign around the well being carrier, making sure that personnel are correctly supported as they proceed to do life-saving paintings for our NHS.’

An NHS England spokesperson mentioned: ‘We strongly urge all eligible frontline health and social care workers and other at-risk groups to come forward for vaccination as soon as the programme starts in Autumn.

‘The NHS continues to make flu vaccination for frontline staff as accessible as possible backed by an enhanced campaign to encourage staff to protect themselves and their patients.

The rock bottom got here as overwhelming call for for care pressured over a dozen trusts to claim ‘critical incidents’ and Britain’s best physician warned of ‘skyrocketing’ instances of flu

Hospitals have been crippled by way of flu outbreaks this wintry weather after file numbers of frontline NHS employees avoided the jab

‘Flu hospitalises thousands of people every winter, putting immense pressure on our health service at its busiest time.

‘Having our dedicated staff protected and healthy is crucial to their health and wellbeing, to meet these demands and provide the care patients need.

‘Our upcoming Urgent and Emergency Care plan will include targeted initiatives to boost vaccine uptake, with a focus on healthcare workers, those most vulnerable and children, recognising that vaccination remains our strongest defence against flu.’