Few staff are taking up flu vaccinations in the city, which is putting staffing capacity at risk during the winter across Sussex.
A report to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee said that NHS Sussex was aiming for a 5 percentage point cent increase in vaccination rates among its staff.
Last winter, the report said, about two-thirds of the population who qualify for a flu vaccination in Sussex – pregnant women, children, the over 65s, unpaid carers, social workers, frontline health workers and those with long-term health conditions had a flu vaccination.
The reportshowed 42 per cent of University Hospitals Sussex staff had received the jab last year.
The lowest percentage of NHS staff vaccinated against flu last year in a healthcare setting in the county, was 40 per cent of staff at Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, which runs Mill View Hospital, in Nevill Avenue, Hove.
Workers from Sussex Community Foundation Trust, which offers community care, had the highest proportion of employees vaccinated at slightly more than half.
Publicity campaigns are focused on encouraging uptake of flu, covid and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccinations.
Councillor Jackie O’Quinn raised concerns about vaccinations.
She felt it was important that healthcare professionals, particularly hospital workers, did not have as much sickness as the general population.
Councillor O’Quinn said: “There was obviously huge importance for the senior clinicians during these times when it’s very busy, to be there and organise things.
“I wondered what the vaccination rates were for senior clinicians, because that would seem to me to be really an important area, not that everyone else isn’t important, but those directing things need that.”
Nigel Kee, the chief operating officer for University Hospitals Sussex said the trust is running a vaccination campaign.
He said: “One of the things we’ve been doing this year is increasing the amount of roving teams.
“Rather than staff having to book a time and clinic to go and have their flu vaccination at a certain time, what we find is that might be fine for some staff, but for others it’s a lot more convenient to have roving teams going to a ward, a clinic or department and offer a vaccination in the person’s area of work.
“That seems to be well received and one of the things that has improved the vaccination rate this year.”
The current rate is 46 per cent of staff, which is higher than last winter, and the programme is ongoing.
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