Okay, it may not be the best title for a blog and you’ll have to be of a certain age to get it (and if you do, you’ll probably be humming the tune!) but it’s that time of year again when practices are preparing for flu season and hopefully putting the wind behind the sails of their individual flu campaigns. It may seem bizarre that I’m writing about flu given the wonderful summer we’ve just experienced, but we must be prepared, don’t you agree? If not, consider these words by Benjamin Franklin: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, and note that the target for completing the vaccination programme is the end of November (ideally).

The flu season starts in December and runs through until March, with patients encouraged to have the vaccine prior to the start of the flu season if it’s to be effective. The effects of flu are wide ranging; some sufferers may experience a mild illness whereas others may have a severe illness and in extremis death can occur. So those patients deemed to be at risk are entitled to have a flu vaccine free of charge. But who’s at risk? How do you know if you’re targeting the right patient groups? Well, you can look at the national flu immunisation programme 2018/19 flu letter no. 1 which outlines the eligibility criteria for patients entitled to have the vaccination for free; this was issued in March 2018.

Perhaps your staff are considering the vaccination. Well, for more information, you’ll need to review flu letter no. 2 which will be issued in due course. However, please note that all front-line health and social care workers are eligible for the flu vaccine; NHS front-line healthcare workers will have the vaccination paid for by the NHS. Want to know more? Then have a look at the NHS flu fighter healthcare worker vaccination clinical evidence document. You can also encourage staff to take one for the team; this is a free resource provided by NHS Employers. Quite worryingly, seven out of ten people with flu don’t have any symptoms, so there’s a need to spread the word as opposed to spreading the flu!

What about targeting the right patient groups? Do you know the ambitions outlined by DHSC, PHE and NHS(E)? Read on to learn more:

Over 65s = 75%

Under 65s and pregnant women = 55% in all clinical risk groups as a minimum; 75% is the ultimate aim

Preschool children = 48%

School-aged children = 65%

Practices should be inviting 100% of those patients who are eligible and they should be striving to achieve the highest uptake possible. NICE guidelines recommend a ‘multicomponent’ approach – that is, an approach that includes providing information about the effectiveness of the vaccine, training, dedication, raising awareness, etc. – detailed guidance is available here.

So you know what you need to do, but how do you relay the message to your patients? Well, breathe easy; the NHS has produced an array of resources which can be accessed using the links below:

Artwork

Digital resources

Posters and leaflets

Flu letters

You can even show staff and patients the uptake of the jab by downloading and using the flu-jab-ometer

Team members can be reminded about the flu jab if you and your team use this banner on your emails:

What about myth-busting? How many times have you heard someone say, “The flu jab gives you flu!” Doesn’t that make you want to shout, “YOU’RE WRONG!” The vaccine contains inactivated flu viruses; therefore it can’t give recipients flu. Similarly, the nasal spray vaccine administered to children won’t give them flu; it does however contain live (albeit weakened) viruses. Maybe patients or staff think that in November it’s not worth having the vaccine. They should be advised that the best time to have the vaccine is between the start of October and the end of November, so having the vaccine in November is completely fine.

We have also produced a Pandemic Influenza Policy, available to PLUS members, which can be adopted to suit individual practices. If it’s training you need, have a look at the ‘Preparing for an influenza pandemic’ in the HUB.

There’s plenty to consider, but the clock’s ticking… How prepared are you and your team when it comes to this year’s campaign? Don’t delay; begin your fight against flu today.

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