Tens of thousands of elderly people are putting their lives at risk by not getting their NHS flu vaccine, experts have warned.
Despite the overall uptake of the flu vaccination rates being fairly consistent in the past few years, there were 16,133 more admissions to hospital for flu and pneumonia for people aged 50 and over in the winter period of 2018/19, than there were in the previous year – with 5,370 more hospital admissions in the 65 and over age group.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) estimate the average cost of hospital admissions for treating flu are £3,000 per person. But despite this, the World Health Organisation’s target of vaccinating 75 per cent of people aged 65 years and over, continues to be “woefully unmet” by the majority of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) according to Age UK. Only 15 per cent (30 out of 195) of CCGs met the 75 per cent recommended target rate for vaccines for older people in 2018-19.
Flu vaccine calls
The NHS flu vaccine is on offer to over 65s, people with a long-term health condition, pregnant women, health and social care workers and carers. Flu kills an average of 8,000 people every year, and it can be particularly serious in these groups.
However, the latest evidence from Public Health England (PHE) shows that in the more densely populated areas such as London, Luton, Manchester and Brighton the uptake of the flu vaccination has also been lower than compared with the previous year.
In London Boroughs in particular, the uptake for vaccinations for people aged 65 and over were all lower than the national average of 72 per cent in 2018/19. A survey of older people in the south London area showed several reasons for not having the flu vaccination, such as believing the flu vaccination had made them ill, that they thought were not vulnerable to flu, that they did not need it because of other health reasons or under-lying beliefs. Some people also thought GP waiting lists were too long.
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Age UK’s Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s Charity Director, said: “The flu is a serious health hazard for older people, particularly for those who are frail or who have other conditions that undermine their resilience.
“We would encourage any older person to make sure they receive the jab every year as it offers valuable protection against the virus and anything that can be done to help prevent older people from contracting flu is worth doing.”
Protection for children
More people than ever are now eligible for the flu vaccine and 25 million people in England will be offered it for free by the NHS. For the first time, the nasal spray vaccine will be offered to all primary school aged children, which means an extra 600,000 children will be protected.
A Government spokesperson said: “There is clearly still room for improvement within the vaccination programme and we urge everyone who is eligible or responsible for an eligible person to think about protecting their health with the vaccine this winter.”
Meanwhile the Government has set a 90 per cent flu vaccine target for health staff this winter saying nurses have a “professional responsibility” to ensure they get their jab. This year, health bosses have introduced a new “buddy” system, which will require trusts with poor staff vaccine uptake to link-up with a better performing trust to help improve their coverage.
Last year a record number of NHS staff – almost three quarters of a million or 70.3 per cent of frontline workers – took up their workplace jab, according to PHE. Jonathan Van Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England, said the key to increasing the level of health workers having their vaccine was “accessibility”.
90 per cent target set for NHS staff
One supplier will not be delivering part of its stock before 31 October. Less than a third of Sanofi Pasteur’s vaccines – used for adults at risk such as those with chronic conditions, asthma and heart disease – will instead be delivered on 18 November.
“We do recognise that this is an extraordinary year and we want to take the maximum amount of precautions,” Professor Van Tam earlier this month.
As a precaution, health and social care secretary Matt Hancock has ordered an additional 400,000 doses of the quadrivalent vaccine from a different supplier to arrive before 31 October – the date the UK had been set to leave the EU.
In numbers — The 2018/19 flu season
- 5,505: Number of people hospitalised across 24 trusts in England
- 3,157: Number of people admitted to an intensive care or high dependency unit as a result of confirmed flu across all of the UK
- 312: Number of deaths
Flu vaccine uptake rates last winter:
- 72.0%: Adults aged 65 or older
- 48.0%: Adults in at-risk groups
- 45.2%: Pregnant women
- 43.8%: Children aged 2