The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a new quality standard focusing on increasing the uptake of influenza (flu) vaccination among eligible individuals.
The key goals of the quality standard are improvements in the following areas:
- Burden of disease on NHS services;
- Sickness absence rates among health and social care staff;
- School absence rates; and
- Flu-associated morbidity and mortality.
The quality standard covers the following four recommendations:
- Vaccine providers should use various methods to invite individuals in eligible groups for flu vaccination.
- The invitations for flu vaccination sent to individuals in eligible groups should include information regarding their situation or clinical risk.
- Non-general practice providers should inform the relevant GP practice when they vaccinate their eligible patients.
- Health and social care staff in direct contact with individuals using services should receive flu vaccination from their employer.
Health professionals should also consider the quality standard on Vaccine uptake in under 19s when providing flu vaccination services.
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