Aintree University Hospital has protected more frontline staff against the flu than any other hospital in the country this winter.



According to the latest figures from Public Health England, Aintree has vaccinated more staff than any other NHS organisation, with 86.9% of patient-facing staff receiving their flu jab at work.



This is an improvement on the hospital’s performance last year, when 83.4% of staff received their flu jab.



Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive of NHS Employers, which runs the national flu fighter campaign, said: “This is a truly impressive achievement and shows real dedication to the flu fighter campaign. In order to stem the tide of infection, it’s especially important for frontline health and care workers to be vaccinated, as they will have the greatest contact with vulnerable people, such as the elderly and the very young. We hope other trusts will follow this stellar example.”



Diane Haddock, Head of Organisational Health and Effectiveness at Aintree, said: “It’s great to see that so many of our staff have taken up the offer of a flu vaccination this winter, which not only protects them and their families but also our patients and visitors.



“While the impact of the flu virus this winter has been widely reported, we have not seen an increase in staff sickness absence as a result of it, which shows the flu jab really does help in reducing the risk of transmission of the flu virus.”



Staff at Aintree have been offered flu vaccinations since October, either by attending a drop-in session, booking an appointment with the Health and Wellbeing team or by arranging for a flu nurse to visit their ward or department.