0. Induction for new staff
Be a flu fighter
Induction for new staff

1. What is seasonal flu? It is spread through coughs and sneezes
Seasonal flu is highly infectious and a very common viral illness
It is spread through coughs and sneezes
Symptoms can make you feel so exhausted and unwell you cannot get out of bed
You can pass on the virus a day before and up to six days after the symptoms start
15-20 per cent of population contract the flu every year
You can carry and pass on the virus without noticing symptoms yourself
What’s the difference between seasonal flu and swine flu?
The answer – not a lot!
Swine flu is a relatively new strain of flu
It’s difficult to tell the difference as both have similar symptoms
They are also spread the same way.
Bullet point 3 – Symptoms include: sudden fever - a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F) or above, dry, chesty cough, headache, tiredness, chills, aching muscles, limb or joint pain, diarrhoea or upset stomach
sore throat, runny or blocked nose, sneezing, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping
Bullet point four - children and people with weaker immune systems, such as cancer patients, may remain infectious for longer.
Bullet point 5 – if this figure was extrapolated across the NHS, it would mean between 210,000 and 280,000 NHS staff contracting flu every without the vaccination

2. What can you do to fight flu?
There is only one way to fight flu and prevent the spread of the virus if you work on the frontline of the NHS:
Get vaccinated
Flu facts
58.4 per cent of frontline NHS staff were vaccinated in 2013/2014
Sickness fell from 3.98 per cent in to 3.95 per cent, saving the NHS £10 million,
or 92,000 days
Flu kills. For most it is a virus which leaves you feeling exhausted. For vulnerable people
such as children, the elderly, those with long term health conditions and those who have
a weakened immune system it can lead to severe infections, complications and death.
- It is absolutely possible for trusts to reach a high level of vaccination, but it relies on people ignoring the myths, finding out the facts, and making the decision to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, and for the safety of their families and their patients.
- Saving money on staff sickness means better business continuity, more money to spend on other resources, and better patient care.
- Staff can carry flu around the hospital and back to their own home, risking the health of their own family, their colleagues and patients.

3. Why is it important to get the jab?
The reasons are simple:
Protect yourself, your family and your patients
Take responsibility for your own health and wellbeing. If you are sick, you are not around to care for your patients, your colleagues may be under more pressure and you could risk passing your illness to friends and family.
The health of your family is important to you. Don’t put them at risk by not getting the jab – especially if you have children or care for someone elderly.
You have a duty of care to your patients. By not getting the flu jab you risk passing on the virus to a high risk group who may not be able to recover from influenza.
Healthcare professionals are highlighted as one of the most at risk groups

4. Flu facts Flu kills – even healthy people
2. The side effects of the vaccination aren’t that bad
3. The flu jab is one of the safest in the world
4. The flu jab cannot give you the flu
5. Good hand hygiene and a good diet aren’t enough to stop flu.
Dr Phil Hammond agrees – look at this Youtube video
Point 1 - The reason that free flu jabs are offered to all staff is because anyone can pick up the virus. Generally, 15–20 per cent of the population gets flu each year – healthy people included! If you can catch flu, you can pass it on to those who are at more risk of serious illness. This could include your friends, family, patients or work colleagues.
Point 2 -For the most part, side effects of the seasonal flu vaccination are really mild or often nonexistent. They are usually a slight soreness around the site of the injection and occasionally some aching of muscles or a slightly raised temperature. These symptoms should go away after a couple of days.
Point 3 - The risk of having a serious reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine is less than one in a million. It is much less than the risk of getting seriously ill from having the flu itself. The only people who should not have the vaccine are those who have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to eggs. This is because hens’ eggs are used in the manufacture of the vaccine.
Point 4 - It is impossible to get flu from the having the flu jab. This is because the vaccine doesn’t contain any live viruses. A very small number of people experience side effects that are similar to those of the flu, such as aching muscles, but this is simply your immune system responding to what it thinks is an attack from flu.
Point 5 – Infection Control measures and healthy diets are strongly encouraged, but they are simply not enough to protect you from flu. The flu vaccine is up to 80% effective in preventing the flu.

5. What should you do now?
Book an appointment with your local occupational health team:
(Note to NHS organisations: bullet points on local information should be included on this slide e.g. information on how to book appointments and contact details for occupational health or drop in sessions, relevant links to areas of their website or intranet)
Tell your colleagues why the flu jab is important
(Note to NHS organisations: you may want to have copies of the flu fighter campaign materials to give out to staff so they can share with colleagues)
Visit for more information on staff flu vaccination
Support and follow the campaign on and find us on Facebook:
Visit for general information on seasonal flu.
Bullet point 1 – trusts should include the contact details and whereabouts of their occupational health teams