Our best protection ever against flu
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has smashed its target to provide protection against the flu, increasing staff uptake of the vaccine from 33 per cent in 2015 to 76 per cent in 2016.
We put on more clinics than ever before to drive the increased uptake, supported by an internal communication campaign to encourage people to have the jab. We also recruited an army of ‘peer-to-peer’ vaccinators – staff who would administer the vaccine for their colleagues at a time to suit them. Our Trust is spread across a broad geography and so locally appointed flu leads were also key to encouraging uptake.
We surveyed our staff in the summer to better understand the barriers to having the jab. This told us that staff wanted more clinics at more convenient times. It also told us that a lot of people believed myths about the jab and so our communications campaign focused on dispelling these.
Flu can be a devastating illness. We now have unparalleled protection across our Trust, protecting not only our staff, but their families and the people who use our services.