We all believe the safety of women in our care is paramount. Part of this is about protecting mothers, babies and families from the risk of contracting flu,’ says Jacque Gerrard, director of the RCM’s UK Board for England.
Wise words, but the sentiment is not echoed in the latest NHS vaccine uptake figures (Department of Health (DH), 2011), which show an average of just three in ten midwives, nurses and health visitors opted for the seasonal flu and H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine.
While the figure is up 10% from the previous year, there are fears that with the 2009 pandemic fading from memory, uptake will begin to tail off.
Even if it stays at current levels, it is still far below the desired number to achieve ‘herd immunity’ – when those who can’t be vaccinated, such as young babies, are protected because the majority of the population is vaccinated.
‘While recognising that accessing the flu vaccination is a personal choice for NHS staff, I would seriously urge midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) to have their seasonal flu jab this year,’ says Jacque.
The Department of Health’s chief medical officer has also called for more staff to have the vaccine, while the NMC is encouraging midwives to get the jab and is promoting the vaccine through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Across the country, the frontline staff uptake statistics are varied, with one trust having a 90% uptake, while others are as low as 5% (DH, 2011). Why such disparity across the trusts? Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, believes it’s an accessibility issue. ‘Anecdotally, we know that midwives working in community settings are historically difficult to reach for logistical reasons,’ he says.
There is an argument that the problem could be resolved if midwives were seen as part of the primary care team and offered vaccines by GPs in their own practices. However, funding and logistical reshuffling would be needed to bring in these changes.
It’s hoped that the first national NHS staff flu campaign, which launched in mid-September, will increase uptake and tackle the disparity between trusts.
Previous NHS flu jab campaigns have either been regional, or public facing, but the Social Partnership Forum – which brings together NHS employers, trade unions and the DH – has appointed the NHS Employers organisation to head-up the first national NHS staff flu campaign.
‘This is the first time we have had an orchestrated attempt to get the message across to NHS staff that the flu jab should be as normal as having your hepatitis jab, and that it is part of your responsibility as a health worker,’ says Mr Royles.
As part of this programme, NHS Employers will be assessing why there has been lower uptake among some staff groups than others.
‘We have been sharing information on good practice on accessing vaccinations. It is likely that higher uptake is happening in areas that have taken a more proactive approach by bringing vaccinations to staff,’ he says.
The new campaign will take its lead from the approach adopted by the North West Strategic Healthcare Authority, which had the highest average uptake rate across its trusts at 50% (DH, 2011).
Mr Royles puts this success down to a co-ordinated approach in communicating the message to staff and forging strong partnerships through working with professional bodies and trade unions. We want to push the idea that this is a great opportunity for collaboration, as well as good for patients,’ he explains.
It is also hoped that an increase in midwives and MSWs opting for the vaccine would encourage pregnant women to get the jab, which would help hit targets set by the World Health Organization and the Council of the European Union, which have recommended a vaccine uptake for pregnant women of 60% for 2011/12, rising to 75% in 2013/14 (Health Protection Agency, 2011).
The key messages of the NHS staff flu vaccination campaign will be cascaded through all trusts, from occupational health leads and directors of public health to clinical leaders, including heads of midwifery. Social media, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, will also be used to spread the message.
Among the campaign materials will be information to help bust the myths that surround the flu vaccination (see above).
The RCM is joining NHS Employers’ rallying cry, says Jacque: ‘Let’s tackle this now and get vaccinated at the earliest possible date we can and together we can make it a record uptake in the maternity services.’
Flu jab – the myths
I don’t need the vaccine because I have never had flu The flu virus mutates every year, so even if you haven’t had flu before, it doesn’t mean you will be immune to any new strain that is circulating. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, you could still be carrying the virus and passing it onto clients and colleagues. Only by having the flu vaccine can you be sure you’re protecting others.
Flu is a mild illnessFor the majority of people who catch it, it is simply unpleasant. For some, however, it is a much more serious illness. Globally, seasonal flu accounts for 250,000-500,000 deaths.
The vaccine gives you fluThe vaccine uses an inactive virus, so there is no possibility of catching flu from the vaccine.
The side-effects of the jab are worse than the fluA small number of people will suffer a mild reaction to the flu jab, such as a mild fever or
feeling generally unwell.
The vaccine doesn’t workThe World Health Organization makes recommendations for updating the flu vaccine in February each year. If there is a good match between the vaccine and the circulating viruses, the vaccine can offer 90% protection in healthy adults. Among the elderly, it can reduce the number of hospital cases by 25% to 39% and reduce overall mortality by 39% to 75%.
The vaccine isn’t safeAll vaccines have to be licensed by the European Medicines Agency and the flu jab has been thoroughly tested and approved for use across the UK.
RCM CommunitiesIs your trust encouraging you to get a flu jab this year? Join the discussion at:
http://communities.rcm.org.uk
For more information, visit:
www.nhsemployers.org
References
Department of Health. (2011)
Seasonal influenza vaccine uptake amongst frontline healthcare workers in England 2010/11. See:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_129849 (accessed 15 September 2011).
Heath Protection Agency. (2011)
Health Protection Report: DH seasonal flu vaccine uptake reports 2010/11. See:
www.hpa.org.uk/hpr/archives/2011/news3611.htm#flu (accessed 21 September 2011).
