Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is backing this year’s annual seasonal flu vaccination campaign, launched this week by the Department of Health, to ensure those people who are at risk of seasonal flu protect themselves by getting their free flu jab and don’t impact on hospital services this winter.

This year, for the first time, all pregnant women will be offered the seasonal flu vaccination. This is because it protects against the H1N1 virus (swine flu) that will still be circulating this winter, and pregnant women who catch this strain are at an increased risk of severe disease and flu-related hospital admissions.

Everyone aged 65 and over is routinely offered the jab, as are younger people with long-term conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis, serious kidney and liver disease. Around 15 million people in the UK have the jab, which must be administered every year as it is altered to match the flu strains in circulation.

Lynne Swiatczak, chief nurse for Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “If you are eligible for a free seasonal flu jab, take advantage and visit your GP as soon as possible to protect yourself and others this winter.”

“Don’t underestimate the effects of seasonal flu. It is not the same as getting a cold and can seriously affect your health, potentially leading to hospital admission. For people under 65 with long term conditions such as diabetes or heart conditions remember that even if you feel well, you are at increased risk of seasonal flu and the jab is your best protection.”

In addition, all clinical and ward staff across the Trust are being encouraged to have the vaccination not only to protect themselves but also their patients.

Every year there are approximately 8,000 seasonal flu-related deaths in the winter months in England and Wales and most of these deaths are avoidable.

The best way to avoid flu is to get immunised, but in addition, people can protect themselves by practising good hand hygiene with the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ technique. This means carrying tissues, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, disposing of the tissue after one use, and cleaning hands as soon as possible with soap and water or an alcohol hand gel.

ENDS.

Notes to editors: • Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust provide a wide range of high quality acute and community services from three acute hospital sites in Amersham, Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe, five community hospitals at Thame, Marlow, Buckingham, Chalfonts and Gerrards Cross and Waterside, and a number of community sites across the county. Details of these can be found here: http://www.buckinghamshirehospitals.nhs.uk/community-health-services.htm • Specialist services include our regional dermatology, allergy and skin cancer centre, burns care and plastics sub-regional centre, cardiac services and the National Spinal Injuries Centre • More than 6,000 staff serve residents across Buckinghamshire, Thame (Oxfordshire), Tring (Hertfordshire) and Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) - a combined population of 500,000. It serves a much larger population, 1.5m, for burns and plastic services and 14m for spinal injuries For further information, contact the communications team on 01494 734959 or at communications@buckshosp.nhs.uk Based on information supplied by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.