Majority of NHS staff refuse swine flu jab
THE majority of front-line healthcare staff have refused to have the swine flu vaccine, the Mail can reveal.
Despite recommendations from health officials, 70 per cent of staff who are eligible for the vaccine across Hull and the East Riding have refused it.
Frontline staff and social care workers have had the opportunity to be immunised since October last year.
They were offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical "at-risk" groups.
However, figures obtained by the Mail through a request made under the Freedom of Information Act found only 2,488 staff have had the jab.
A total of 8,000 staff were offered the vaccination.
At Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, 6,255 staff members are eligible, but only 1,780 staff, or 28.5 per cent, have opted to be immunised.
At Hull PCT, 879 staff are eligible for the vaccine, but just 274, or 31 per cent, have had the jab.
And at East Riding of Yorkshire PCT, 915 staff are eligible, and only 434 staff, or 47 per cent, have opted to have the vaccine.
The Mail understands staff, some of whom are GPs who will be advising patients to have the vaccine, are turning it down because of safety concerns.
A spokesperson for NHS Hull said: "Our most recent figures show less than one in every three staff members who are eligible for the swine flu vaccine have received it.
"Staff have been made fully aware of the benefits of vaccination for both themselves and their patients.
"All NHS front-line healthcare workers have been strongly encouraged to have the vaccination, however it is ultimately each person's choice whether to do so."
Dr David Hepburn, medical director for Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said staff cannot be forced to have the vaccine.
He said: "The swine flu vaccination was made available to trust front-line healthcare staff on a purely voluntary basis.
"Therefore, staff were under no obligation to either be vaccinated or provide any reason why they did not wish to be vaccinated.
"It was a national recommendation that staff accept the offer of a vaccination."
Dr Tim Allison, director of Public Health for the East Riding, said he was encouraged by the results.
He said: "We are encouraged by the uptake of the swine flu vaccine among front-line staff."
18 Comments
View all
by anon, Hull
Saturday, March 20 2010, 12:44AM
“sorry David I shoud have said the people that I work with are nurses like myself and doctors...not cleaners or ancillary staff”
by linda, hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 10:28PM
“probably not David , of the nurses I work with very few have taken up the offer”
by Lou, Hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 8:49PM
“Swine flu? Whats that? Oh, wait a minute its coming back to me now......that "deadly disease" that came to kill us all last year, 65000 of us were doomed. Ah yes I remember now.”
by David, Hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 7:30PM
“"Quote", Seventy per cent of staff who are eligible for the vaccine across Hull and the East Riding have refused it. " Unquote". Quite a damming statement on the face of it. However, the majority are probably cleaners, porters, drivers etc, no more in the know than you or I.”
by linda, hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 5:04PM
“I have nt had the swine flu vaccination - I do not feel it has been fully trialled and tested , I feel it has been rushed through with all of the hype around swine flu.We were informed by the Public Health Lab when the swine flu outbreak began earlier last year that there would not be a vaccine until at least after christmas and that trials were in the very early stages and was nt it fully tested.I think the HDM should think carefully about the words they use I think refusing is rather a strong word - decline is more like it.Stop trying to make a story out of something you have not bothered to look into properly.”
by Whatever, next!
Friday, March 19 2010, 2:13PM
“The sad thing about the 'Swine Flu' hype/conspiracy is that now the country has a stockpile of unused and unwanted vaccines costing millions, to recoup the money it's being considered selling it on to the third world countries.
Disgraceful............”
by Billy, Hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 2:07PM
“The jab was offered to my wife and 12 year old son, I did not ahve it neither did 12 year old, only one who got ill was the wife.”
by David Icke, Isle of Wight
Friday, March 19 2010, 2:00PM
“Just try vitamin D instead fights all colds and flu”
by David icke, Isle of wight
Friday, March 19 2010, 1:58PM
“Just try vitamin D instead fights all colds and flu”
by Anon, West Hull
Friday, March 19 2010, 1:43PM
“I'm a health care professional and chose not to have the jab because from my experience, the hype around swine flu was all for nothing....why vaccinate against something that was I was highly unlikely to catch anyway (going by the number of cases I saw)?”