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Many people across the Midlands have still not been vaccinated, health chiefs said
More than three million people across the Midlands have had the flu jab, but others are being urged to get themselves protected, as cases continue to rise.
The NHS said hospitals across the East and West Midlands had seen an earlier start to the flu season this year, with some patients being left in intensive care.
Julia Grace, NHS Midlands deputy director for vaccinations, said there were still many more people in vulnerable groups who had not been vaccinated, but added that people could still book a jab.
Latest NHS data showed that on 24 November there were more than 2,300 people with flu in hospital beds in the West Midlands, which was an increase of about 1,000 on the week before.
Across England as a whole, the number of flu patients in hospital has hit a record high for this time of the year – they include those on critical care units as well as general wards.
The NHS, which has just launched its weekly situation reports into winter pressures, said the figures of those being treated in hospital were expected to increase further.
Margaret Garbett, chief nurse at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS, added that flu could be life-threatening for many people. Last year, nearly 8,000 people died from flu, and in the 2022-23 flu season there were nearly 16,000 deaths.
Health bosses in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have for that reason targeted carers, both voluntary and professionals.
It is hoped the vaccine can prevent vulnerable people contracting flu and make sure that carers can keep looking after them.
They said the flu vaccination could reduce the risk of hospitalisation by almost 50% in otherwise healthy adults, and even more for those living with long-term conditions.
One carer, Jane, who looks after her husband Mark said: “As a carer, you don’t really have the option to be unwell. Someone depends on you every day, and even a short illness can turn everything upside down.”
The NHS in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent said latest figures showed 320,094 people in the county were still to receive their flu jab and 68,332 were yet to have their Covid vaccination.
The figures are mirrored elsewhere across the region.
Dr Abdi Ali, consultant at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust said getting vaccinated only took a few minutes, but said “it could help you avoid hospital and enjoy a healthier Christmas”.
The ambulance service said all its vehicles were prepared for severe weather
Health providers in Birmingham and the Black Country said that on 25 November hospitals including the Queen Elizabeth, Solihull, Good Hope and Midland Metropolitan, had nearly 150 patients with flu and five in intensive care.
Dr Aftab Arif, GP at Hall Green Health in Hall Green, Birmingham, said it was an “avoidable illness” and it was “vital” people protected themselves, their loved ones and those around them.
Fellow GP Jess Harvey, who works in Shropshire, urged people to help themselves where possible – including using over the counter remedies and trying to see GPs – rather than going to A&Es unless it was a life-threatening situation.
Winter pressures
NHS pleas for people to get flu jabs came as West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) said it had taken “significant steps to increase capacity and resilience” to help face winter pressures, including deploying an additional 158 graduate and student paramedics.
Last month it emerged the trust was facing the longest ambulance handover delays in England, with crews losing 41,000 hours in October waiting outside hospitals in the region.
WMAS which covers Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire, as well as Coventry, Birmingham and the Black Country, serves a population of six million people.
A WMAS spokesman said the trust continued to work with NHS partners to try to reduce handover delays.
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Children are given the flu vaccine via a nasal spray
The NHS is planning for a peak in adult flu cases before Christmas, with the surge expected to follow four weeks after a peak in children’s cases.
In Derbyshire, NHS leaders said the number of children testing positive for flu in hospital was 31% – “much higher than the 8% from the same time last year”.
It is hoped vaccinations can counter that.
Ms Grace, at NHS Midlands, said GP surgeries and pharmacies provided a huge range of vaccination clinics.
In Walsall and Wolverhampton, a vaccination bus is visiting hospitals and people can walk in to get their jab.
“With less than a month to go until Christmas, we want to make it as easy as possible for people to get their vaccination and be protected,” Ms Grace added.
Sandra Bloor, from Midlands Partnership University NHS school-aged immunisation service, said flu could be a “really unpleasant illness” for children.
She said the risk of other family members getting the virus increased if youngsters had not had the flu vaccine.
“We would hate for it to spoil your Christmas,” she said. “The nasal spray only takes a moment, it’s gentle and painless, and it’s such an easy way to help protect your little ones this winter.”
