As with other trusts across the country, UHMBT had been set the target of vaccinating at least 75% of front line staff against flu this winter.
The campaign launched in the Trust on Monday 2 October, with staff from the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Department and the clinical areas working together to make the vaccination as accessible as possible for staff who wanted to have it.
The Occupational Health team has taken a very innovative approach this year to getting their message out about the importance of the Flu vaccine.
David Walker, Medical Director, UHMBT, said: “We are thrilled that we have managed to reach the 75% target for our frontline staff being vaccinated, as it not only protects them against flu but also protects their family, friends and most importantly, our patients. This is a great achievement and is all down to the hard work of our Occupational Health and Wellbeing team and peer vaccinators who have not only been holding the usual drop in sessions but have also been visiting wards during the week and out of hours, offering the jab to staff in their workplace.”
People think of flu as a mild winter illness, but the reality can be devastating.
That is why we are going to continue our campaign to see how many more of our staff we can help become Flu Fighters.
More information on the national NHS flu fighter campaign and why vaccinations are important is available on NHS Employers’ flu fighter web pages: www.nhsemployers.org/flu
Find out more about flu at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx