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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/07/nhs-hospital-staff-who-refuse-flu-jab-may-be-redeployed
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| Hospital staff in key areas who refuse flu jab may be redeployed | Hospital staff in key areas who refuse flu jab may be redeployed |
| (3 months later) | |
| Hospital staff in key areas of NHS care who refuse to have the flu jab will be moved to other units this winter in order to protect patients’ safety. | Hospital staff in key areas of NHS care who refuse to have the flu jab will be moved to other units this winter in order to protect patients’ safety. |
| NHS bosses have taken the unprecedented decision as part of their plans to cope with the extra pressure on the service during the coldest months. | NHS bosses have taken the unprecedented decision as part of their plans to cope with the extra pressure on the service during the coldest months. |
| NHS Improvement, which oversees NHS and foundation trusts as well as independent providers of NHS-funded care, said it wanted all NHS staff in England to have the vaccine before this winter. | NHS Improvement, which oversees NHS and foundation trusts as well as independent providers of NHS-funded care, said it wanted all NHS staff in England to have the vaccine before this winter. |
| “In hospital departments where patients have lower immunity and are most at risk of flu, it may be appropriate for those who choose not to be vaccinated to be redeployed to other areas where this promotes the overall safety of patients,” the NHS regulator said in a statement. | “In hospital departments where patients have lower immunity and are most at risk of flu, it may be appropriate for those who choose not to be vaccinated to be redeployed to other areas where this promotes the overall safety of patients,” the NHS regulator said in a statement. |
| Flu vaccines: a mixture of hard science and good fortune | |
| That could lead to doctors and nurses in neonatal, high-dependency and intensive care units, and those caring for patients whose immunity is compromised because of cancer treatment, being told to work elsewhere. | That could lead to doctors and nurses in neonatal, high-dependency and intensive care units, and those caring for patients whose immunity is compromised because of cancer treatment, being told to work elsewhere. |
| Groups representing NHS staff responded cautiously. The Royal College of Nursing said the threat of redeployment was risky and hinted that it opposed the move. | Groups representing NHS staff responded cautiously. The Royal College of Nursing said the threat of redeployment was risky and hinted that it opposed the move. |
| Tom Sandford, the director of RCN England, said: “All healthcare staff should ideally get the flu vaccine. Some boast uptake levels of more than 90% without recourse to measures such as redeployment. We believe increasing vaccination coverage among staff is predominantly about education and availability. Redeploying staff carries its own risks, and we need to understand how employers will manage this.” | Tom Sandford, the director of RCN England, said: “All healthcare staff should ideally get the flu vaccine. Some boast uptake levels of more than 90% without recourse to measures such as redeployment. We believe increasing vaccination coverage among staff is predominantly about education and availability. Redeploying staff carries its own risks, and we need to understand how employers will manage this.” |
| Dr Chris Moulton, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which represents A&E doctors, said all staff in emergency departments should get the jab, “not just because it protects the member of staff and their colleagues and prevents them being off sick. It is because we have a duty of care to our patients.” | Dr Chris Moulton, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which represents A&E doctors, said all staff in emergency departments should get the jab, “not just because it protects the member of staff and their colleagues and prevents them being off sick. It is because we have a duty of care to our patients.” |
| Staff immunisation was vital, he added, because “up to three-quarters of people with flu have no symptoms and so are carrying and spreading the infection without even knowing it”. | Staff immunisation was vital, he added, because “up to three-quarters of people with flu have no symptoms and so are carrying and spreading the infection without even knowing it”. |
| Last winter 68.7% of frontline NHS staff – the highest proportion ever – received the vaccine, though many doubt it works. At some NHS trusts more than 90% of personnel were vaccinated last winter, but at others immunisation rates were as low as 20%-30%. | Last winter 68.7% of frontline NHS staff – the highest proportion ever – received the vaccine, though many doubt it works. At some NHS trusts more than 90% of personnel were vaccinated last winter, but at others immunisation rates were as low as 20%-30%. |
| NHS Improvement said redeployment of staff was considered necessary to help the NHS withstand another potential meltdown this year, after last year became its toughest winter ever. Flu accounted for about a third of the growth in emergency admissions to hospital last winter compared with the winter before, and the virus also led to some staff being too sick to work. | NHS Improvement said redeployment of staff was considered necessary to help the NHS withstand another potential meltdown this year, after last year became its toughest winter ever. Flu accounted for about a third of the growth in emergency admissions to hospital last winter compared with the winter before, and the virus also led to some staff being too sick to work. |
| “By getting vaccinated against flu, healthcare workers can protect themselves, their families, colleagues and patients, making sure we have a healthy workforce and helping to reduce the pressure on services over winter,” said Prof Jane Cummings, NHS England’s chief nursing officer. | “By getting vaccinated against flu, healthcare workers can protect themselves, their families, colleagues and patients, making sure we have a healthy workforce and helping to reduce the pressure on services over winter,” said Prof Jane Cummings, NHS England’s chief nursing officer. |
| The NHS will soon start offering everyone aged over 65 a new “adjuvanted trivalent vaccine” to ward off flu this winter. The jab will “offer the strongest possible protection against flu in this vulnerable group”, it says. | The NHS will soon start offering everyone aged over 65 a new “adjuvanted trivalent vaccine” to ward off flu this winter. The jab will “offer the strongest possible protection against flu in this vulnerable group”, it says. |
| A newly published NHS Improvement review of last winter found that the NHS faced “a perfect storm of flu, stomach bugs and unusually severe weather”. The winter was “longer and more severe than recent years” and the flu outbreak was the worst since 2010-11. As a result, record numbers of patients had to wait longer for care because hospitals, despite unprecedented planning, were unable to cope, the agency said. | A newly published NHS Improvement review of last winter found that the NHS faced “a perfect storm of flu, stomach bugs and unusually severe weather”. The winter was “longer and more severe than recent years” and the flu outbreak was the worst since 2010-11. As a result, record numbers of patients had to wait longer for care because hospitals, despite unprecedented planning, were unable to cope, the agency said. |
| Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the NHS trusts it represented in England were concerned about the coming winter. “Demand for treatment is rising relentlessly, staff vacancies are at record levels and after a difficult summer staff have been working at full tilt without a break,” he said. | Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the NHS trusts it represented in England were concerned about the coming winter. “Demand for treatment is rising relentlessly, staff vacancies are at record levels and after a difficult summer staff have been working at full tilt without a break,” he said. |
| In a plea to ministers he said giving social care an immediate emergency funding injection would be the biggest single thing they could do to help the NHS this winter. | In a plea to ministers he said giving social care an immediate emergency funding injection would be the biggest single thing they could do to help the NHS this winter. |
| • This article was amended on 17 September 2018. An earlier version said flu accounted for a third of all admissions to hospital last winter. Flu accounted for about a third of the growth in emergency admissions between winter 2016/17 and 2017/18. This has been corrected. | • This article was amended on 17 September 2018. An earlier version said flu accounted for a third of all admissions to hospital last winter. Flu accounted for about a third of the growth in emergency admissions between winter 2016/17 and 2017/18. This has been corrected. |
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