Toolkit for supporting flu vaccination uptake
This toolkit is designed to support peer vaccinators across UHB who are helping to deliver flu vaccinations to colleagues. It provides practical tips, conversation starters, and myth-busting guidance to help increase uptake and protect staff and patients during the winter season.
You play a vital role in encouraging participation and making vaccination accessible across your wards and departments – let’s help protect more patients and colleagues than ever before.
Effectiveness and impact
In adults aged 18–64, the flu vaccine reduced hospitalisation risk by 46.1% last season.
In adults aged 65+, it reduced hospitalisation risk by over 40%.
Even if flu is contracted after vaccination, symptoms are milder and shorter.
Protective immune responses typically develop within 14 days of vaccination.
In England during the 2024/25 season, the flu vaccine prevented an estimated 96,000 to 120,200 hospitalisations.
| Flu season | Flu-related deaths |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Approximately 8,000 |
| 2022/23 | Approximately 16,000 |
| 2014/15 | Over 35,000 |
Who should be vaccinated?
All frontline healthcare and social care workers with direct patient contact.
Includes both clinical and non-clinical staff in NHS trusts, primary care, and social care settings.
Why is annual vaccination needed?
Immunity fades over time.
Flu viruses mutate constantly.
Previous flu illness does not protect against new strains.
Safety and side effects
The vaccine cannot cause flu — injectable vaccines for adults contain no live virus.
Common side effects include a mild temperature for 1–2 days or a sore arm at the injection site
Side effects are much milder than actual flu illness.
Current challenges
In 2024/25, less than 38% of NHS staff were vaccinated.
In social care, uptake was below 15% for care home staff.
Decline attributed to vaccine fatigue, access barriers, and concerns about effectiveness.
We experience significant winter pressures at UHB, with more colleagues on sick leave due to flu, the harder it is to ensure patients can be seen safely and effectively, slowing down flow, and impacting how responsive the health service is as a whole, such as delaying ambulances from offloading and getting back out into the community – it is as stark a reality as that.
The more we can encourage vaccination in our own communities (not just NHS colleagues i.e. the public), the fewer hospital admissions (and resultant pressures) we may experience.
Tips for a successful local vaccination campaign in your ward/department
| Lead by example | Get vaccinated early and share your experience. |
|---|---|
| Promote access | Ensure colleagues know when and where they can get vaccinated, including for colleagues on night shifts where this is possible in your ward/department. |
| Use visible reminders | Please make use of our posters and put them up at eye level in busy staff areas. Use the ‘stay strong’ vaccination stickers when you give a vaccination and use the ‘empty belly’ posters to advertise the times of any local vaccination clinics you hold – use a whiteboard marker on these to reuse them. |
| Celebrate success | Share stories and recognise the vaccination uptake across your team(s). |
| Address concerns respectfully | Create a safe space for questions and discussions but challenge misinformation with facts kindly. |
| Make time | Over the 10 weeks of the flu vaccination campaign, please find time to invite all members of your team into a conversation where you can offer the flu vaccination or record a refusal. Please remember that students, volunteers, AHPs, doctors and non-clinical members of staff are eligible for a flu jab too (not just your own nursing team). |
Mythbusters
| Myth | Busted |
|---|---|
| "I’m healthy, so I don’t need the vaccine" | Healthy people can still catch and spread flu without symptoms. Healthy people can also experience serious side effects. |
| "The vaccine made me ill last time" | The injectable flu vaccine cannot cause flu as it does not contain live virus. Mild side effects like a sore arm or slight fever are normal and are a sign that the vaccine is working to protect you. |
| "I had COVID vaccines, so I’m protected" | Flu and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses. Annual flu vaccination is still needed. |
| "I had flu recently, so I’m protected" | Flu strains change each year. Previous infection may not protect against current variants. The flu vaccine prevented 96,000-120,200 hospitalisations last year. |
| "The vaccine doesn’t work" | The flu vaccine prevented 96,000-120,200 hospitalisations last year in England and some vaccines can be up to 90% effective. It reduces the severity of disease and so will help in a quicker recovery. |
| "I’m pregnant, I can’t have the flu jab” | The flu vaccination is safe for pregnant women, and it even offers the newborn baby protection. It is advised that pregnant women, and people with a long-term chronic health condition, should get the vaccine. |
Conversation starters
"Have you had your flu jab yet? I got mine last week and it was quick and easy."
"Did you know flu can be passed on even if you don’t have symptoms? That’s why I got vaccinated."
"If you’re worried about side effects, most people just get a sore arm for a day. Much better than getting flu."
"We’ve got a drop-in clinic this week – want to come along together?"
"Getting vaccinated helps protect our patients and keeps our team strong during winter pressures."
Motivation and support
As a peer vaccinator, your encouragement and visibility can make a real difference. Staff are more likely to get vaccinated when they see trusted colleagues doing so. Use positive messaging, share your own reasons for getting vaccinated, and help make the process as convenient as possible. Together, we can protect ourselves, our patients, and our colleagues this winter.
Social media
When a colleague having their vaccination, and where they consent and are happy to share, please post photos and your messages and stories to the staff Facebook groups, to help encourage others to do the right thing. Share all of these to your hospital’s staff Facebook page directly at the links below, or email Communications.
Good Hope Hospital staff Facebook group
Heartlands Hospital staff Facebook group
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham staff Facebook group
Solihull Hospital and community services staff Facebook group