Poole Hospital is up for a prestigious national flu award after 90% of its frontline clinical staff - who deal directly with patients – were vaccinated against flu over the winter months.
The hospital is one of four in the 2019 NHS Employers Flu Fighter awards ‘best team’ category. It is one of the top 10 performing acute hospitals in the country for the 2018/19 national winter flu campaign and has exceeded the national target of 75% uptake among healthcare workers.
A campaign to encourage staff to have the jab was led by staff from occupational health, human resources, communications and the executive team. This utilised the hospital’s ‘We all have a role in infection control’ message and provided education on the potential dangers of flu, the benefits of the vaccination and debunked myths about the jab.
“It’s a fantastic achievement and I’m very proud that our hospital has been recognised nationally,” said Dr Angus Wood, medical director.
“Having the jab is very important to limiting the spread of flu in the local community as well as ensuring that both our staff and patients stay well during the winter months.”
This is the second time the hospital has been nominated for a Flu Fighter award after winning the most improved flu campaign in 2017 after the staff vaccination rate climbed from 31.1% to 80.7% in a year.
The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in Manchester in March 2019.
