NHS gives staff extra day off for having a flu jab

More than 8,000 staff would be eligible under the plans by Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which says the offer is a “thank you” to all those who take part.

However the public service union Unison has questioned the cost of the move, describing it as “unnecessary” at a time when cuts are being made across the NHS.

The trust’s chief executive Phil Morley said he did not want to see a repeat of the tragedy last year in which a member of staff died from a “flu-like” illness. He said: “Influenza can kill. Young children, pregnant women and people with underlying health problems are all at an increased risk which is why we – as healthcare workers – have a moral duty to have the vaccine.

“This winter our trust will be pioneering a new initiative to offer an extra day’s annual leave as both an incentive and a thank-you to our staff who have the flu jab.

“We see half a million patients every year through our hospitals many of whom bring infections and germs in with them putting our staff at risk.

“Last year a member of staff died of a flu-like illness; I don’t want to see that happen ever again.”

Last year the trust was cited as a good example of best practice nationally with 70 per cent of frontline staff at its main hospitals, Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, getting vaccinated, against the national figure of just one in three.

According to the Health Protection Agency 602 people in the UK died with a confirmed flu infection during the 2010-11 season, including 83 fatalities in Yorkshire.

But Ray Gray, regional officer for Unison, said it was a “bribe”.

Mr Gray – who said he would not have a jab again after having one a few years ago and then getting ill, added: “There will be a cost to this and it just seems an unnecessary cost.

“If everybody takes a day off how can they do it? It has just baffled people. There are people who have already said they will have the jab, but they don’t want the day off, they don’t see the link.

“When these people are off someone will have to their work – it certainly has the potential to backfire.”

Staff will be able to have an extra day’s annual leave between next April and September, if they book their flu jab before November 30.

Across the country at risk groups, including pregnant women, people with heart disease, breathing problems, diabetes or other long-term illnesses are being offered the vaccination, alongside healthworkers.

This year the vaccination protects against the three main flu strains that are expected to circulate in the coming winter.

Dr John Radford, Director of Public Health at NHS Rotherham, said: “Whilst flu is a nasty experience for all of us, for those at risk it can lead to more serious illnesses such as bronchitis, pneumonia or even meningitis, complications which often require hospital treatment.”

A spokesman for the British Medical Association said: “We are encouraging healthcare professionals including doctors to have the flu jab.

“It is important NHS managers consider routes that allow staff to get vaccinated.”