Trust Delighted at Swine Flu Vaccination Response
 

University Hospital of North Staffordshire was one of the top trusts nationally in vaccinating staff against swine flu. Over 84% of frontline staff volunteered for the Swine Flu vaccination up to the end of March 2010. The Trust followed Department of Health guidance in offering the vaccination to priority groups of health workers.

Liz Rix, chief nurse, is delighted so many staff came forward. She said: "These figures show that our staff take health protection and patient safety very seriously by putting themselves forward for the vaccination. The jab was entirely voluntary, we let our staff make the decision to be vaccinated and I'm very happy so many came forward. There was a huge uptake of the swine flu vaccine with 3,365 staff volunteering to be vaccinated. We engaged in a vaccination programme that took the vaccine to our staff at the frontline and a dedicated team of nurses ensured this was a success."

Mark Mould, acting chief operating officer, said: "The Trust had very robust plans for the outbreak of pandemic flu and the evidence suggests the measures taken were very successful. We worked very closely with Primary Care Trusts and GPs during the pandemic. The Trust has shown it has resilient plans to deal with major incidents. However, we won't be resting on our laurels, we will learn from this experience to ensure we are prepared should a similar situation arise.

Planning proved invaluable during the swine flu outbreak. It came at a time when the Trust was facing its normal winter pressures alongside an unseasonably early start to norovirus, which closed a number of wards to new admissions."