flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late...

12
flu fighter Flu fighter! A guide to running your campaign

Transcript of flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late...

Page 1: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

flu fighter

Flu fighter!A guide to running

your campaign

Page 2: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

This guide has been written for staff flu vaccination leads in NHS organisations in England. It sets out what materials and resources are available to help you plan and implement a successful staff-facing flu vaccination programme this year and beyond. It will also provide you with top tips gathered from flu leads around the country for how you can ensure your campaign is successful. This guide should be read in conjunction with our ‘Getting started’ guide, published in August 2011, which sets out what flu leads need to do in advance to ensure that local flu campaigns are successful.

You can download a copy of the ‘Getting started’ guide from our campaign website: www.nhsemployers.org/flu

If you have any questions about this guide or the campaign more generally, please email: [email protected] or contact our flu fighters hotline on 0844 334 5252.

A guide to running your staff-facing seasonal flu vaccination campaign

What is the campaign and who is it for?The national NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign, commissioned by the national Social Partnership Forum, supports all NHS organisations in England with their local campaign. The NHS Employers organisation, on behalf of the Forum, has produced a range of materials and resources that you can use to help achieve the best possible uptake.

How has the campaign been developed?The campaign has been developed in partnership with staff side organisations and with significant input and feedback from colleagues across the health service. The national campaign is broadly based on the successful campaign that ran in the North West region last year, and has been further developed following suggestions, ideas and feedback received from NHS colleagues across England. The national campaign branding has been tested with both frontline and back-office staff in a range of organisations and has been developed to stand out, grab attention and be memorable.

We will work to address needs as they arise throughout the campaign this year. Your feedback is always welcome, so please get in touch at [email protected]

This guide is split into four sections to cover the key areas you will need to focus on to run an effective campaign:

1. Promoting your campaign2. Delivering your campaign3. Leading your campaign4. Getting the message across

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National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

ImportantPermission has been given by Lego for some of their images to be used as part of the campaign. The images may be used for free, but in return some requirements set out by Lego must be adhered to:

● The materials featuring Lego images must be used to promote the flu vaccination to staff only.

● The materials featuring Lego images must not be used to promote the flu vaccination in areas which are predominantly patient-facing (for example, a GP waiting room or a notice board in an outpatient clinic).

● The Lego images may be used in areas where patients might pass through, but only if it is clear they are not aimed at patients (for example, you could display the posters on a staff information notice board located in a canteen that is also open to patients).

● The Lego images can be used in local press but there is strict guidance around this. Before you agree to any media coverage please ensure you have read our communications toolkit, which can be found on the flu campaign website: www.nhsemployers.org/flu

Page 4: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

1 Promoting your campaignThere are lots of things you can do to let staff know that the vaccine is available. It is worth thinking about all of the options you have available, some of which may be less obvious than others. Many organisations use posters, flyers, emails and their intranet site to promote their campaign, but why not consider other things too? Be creative!

Top tips● Promote at team meetings/team briefs.● Give out flyers with receipts from the staff canteen.● Promote at shift handovers.● Attach messages to payslips to encourage staff to get vaccinated.● Discuss at your staff forum/council.● Add messages to email footers: “I’ve had my flu jab, have you?”.

● Work with local and regional media for features and editorial.● Send text messages to colleagues with work mobile phones.● Use social media (Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube etc).● Keep your intranet page up to date with information about when and where to get vaccinated.● Use screensavers and pop-ups on all trust computers.

Resources to support you We have produced a range of materials to help you promote your campaign.

A set of six A4 posters – also available for you to download and customise with your trust logo and contact details.

An A5 leaflet that busts the top flu myths – also available for you to download and customise with your trust logo and contact details.

Three Sudoku puzzles – for you to download and customise.

flu fighter

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Funny what some people believe, like thinking that the flu vaccine can give you the flu. It can’t, because it doesn’t contain the live virus.

Protect yourself, your family and your patients by getting a flu jab. Don’t delay, book your flu jab early.

Contact your occupational health team today.

Not funny!

flu fighter

Become a flu fighter and protect yourself, your family and your patients by getting a flu jab.

Don’t delay, book your flu jab early.

Contact your occupational health team today.

Flu fighter!

DC_NHS FluFighter_A5Leaflet_Print.indd 1 25/08/2011 09:40

Flu Fighter magazine – this easy-to-read lifestyle magazine will include real-life stories, messages from staff who have had the vaccine, and mythbusters. The magazine will be delivered in the second phase of the campaign and will be with you towards the end of September 2011.

I thought I was going to die!

How could I be helping my patients and team stuck home in bed?

How could I be helping my patients and team stuck home in bed?

NHS STAFF TRUE STORY

FLUFIGHTERFLUFIGHTER

MythbustersFind out what’s false, what’s true about flu

WHY ARE WE

LOOKING

DOWN UNDER?

Fight the flu Lu – Get a flu jab

TRUE life stories!

inside

WIN • CHILDREN’S DESIGN COMPETITION • WIN FAB PRIZES! JUNIOR FLU FIGHTERS CORNER

WINanimation

softwarefor your school

The influenza vaccine is made like any other vaccine: it contains the virus it intends to protect you from. The virus is inactivated or very weak so that your body can identify it, fight against it with minimal side effects, and be ready in case you ever contract the actual flu. You can’t catch a virus you’ve already had, so by injecting a vaccine and having your body identify it, you are protected against contracting the flu this winter. This is the actual process for making the flu vaccine: 1. Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the

whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. This process takes about two months.

2. The viruses are then extracted, purified, killed, and dispensed into vials. 3. Vaccine research and development is a carefully controlled and very

lengthy process. Before trials begin in humans, regulatory bodies must approve laboratory results and give ethical approval. Vaccines then go through four phases of vaccine evaluation in humans.

REMEMBER! You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine- the virus is already dead. Your body will make antibodies against the many epitopes (distinct features) of the influenza virus and thus you are protected if you encounter a live virus later on.

Don’t delay. Protect yourself,

protect the people you care

for, starting now.

The vaccine is available now

so to book your flu jab,

contact your Line Manager,

Occupational Health

or HR team.

Here’s the chance for your child to create their very own flu monster and

win a special prize for their school.

To raise awareness of seasonal flu among children in our region, we are

launching a competition to find a “scary monster” to represent the flu virus.

The winning design will not only be used as part of our Winter 2010/11

campaign but will be brought to life by the award- winning team

of filmmakers at Milky Tea. What’s more, the winner will receive

animation software for their school – helping to create animators

of the future.

HOW TO ENTERThe competition is open to ALL primary school children in the North West, from Reception Class, up to and including children in Year 6. You can download a copy of the entry form now at www.attishoo.com. The form includes some Flu Facts about the virus that will hopefully give your children inspiration as well as prompting a few questions about the flu bug itself. So be prepared!

The closing date for entries is 18 October. Entries will be judged by NHS North West and the Milky Tea team and the winner contacted by Friday 22 October before being announced on the website www.attishoo.com

Can your child design a scary

flu-bug monster?

WINGet your

design animated

A GIANT SLIMY BOGEYHEDRON?

AN EAR-SPLITTING

COUGHALOTONUS?

A TOWERING SNEEZOSAURUS?

How is flu vaccine made?

Take the Plunge

Page 5: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

Social media Our twitter and Facebook presence will help you promote the campaign locally. Staff using twitter can follow NHSflufighter and add a twibbon to their profile. Our Facebook page is highly interactive and allows staff to pledge that they are having their jab. Staff can also submit details of their trust so that organisations can be ranked in a fun way to inject an element of competition into the campaign.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhsflufighter

twitter: www.twitter.com/nhsflufighter

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ nhs-employers

Text messaging Communicating with staff who work in the community can be difficult. A number of trusts use mobile phone text messaging to get their campaign messages across. A number of companies exist that can do this for you for a fee. The links below are some of the companies that are available. Please note that NHS Employers does not endorse any of these particular companies and there are also other companies available.

www.txtlocal.co.uk

www.24x.com

www.mediaburst.co.uk

www.textmarketer.co.uk

QR barcode – our staff-facing materials have a QR barcode that allows staff with a barcode reader application on their smartphone to access our campaign website by the click of a button.

Stickers – small enough that they can be placed on ID badges or similar.

I’m a flufighter

Web banners – a series of colourful web banners and buttons which you can download to help you promote the campaign.

Screensaver – a fun, animated screensaver to remind people about the need to get their flu jab.

Mythbusters: The movie – this short film uses comedy to dispel the myths around the flu virus. The film will be available for download from YouTube from late September and you can link to the film from your intranet page.

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National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

2 Delivering your campaignDeciding when and where to offer the vaccination is a key issue for many organisations. We know that you are likely to achieve a significantly higher uptake if you take the vaccine to staff rather than asking them to attend set clinics. However, there is not necessarily one approach that works best. The type of organisation you are in, its culture, size, the number of sites you are based across and where they are in relation to each other, the staff groups you employ and their shift patterns, are all key factors to consider when thinking about where and when to offer vaccinations.

Training more peopleMany organisations struggle to find the capacity to provide vaccinations to all staff over such a short period of time and so train up extra vaccinators to help deliver the programme. You could train senior ward staff or representatives from each department and ask them to vaccinate everyone in their area. You could train up staff who are keen and ask them to vaccinate out of hours, particularly if they normally work out of hours anyway. These vaccinators will require training in line with all national policy and your local policy. Skills for Health has recently launched an immunisations and vaccinations e-learning programme which has been developed with the Health Protection Agency and experts in the service. The programme is available free of charge to NHS organisations from the Skills for Health website: www.skillsforhealth.org.uk

Practical workshops for flu leadsOur series of workshops and webinars throughout the campaign period will provide flu leads and others involved in local campaigns with an opportunity to share ideas, look at top tips and get the most out of their campaign. You can find out more about the events from our website: www.nhsemployers.org/flu

Options for delivery might include:

● setting up clinics in staff rooms or areas close to wards

● setting up in the staff canteen

● holding drop-in clinics in main staff entrances, especially at times staff are starting and finishing work

● offering vaccinations out of hours

● sending vaccinators to wards and departments to catch staff who are traditionally difficult to access, for example A&E staff

● running clinics and drop-in centres across other sites

● running clinics at places you are likely to find community-based staff

● offering a free cup of tea and biscuit to all staff who attend to get vaccinated

● allowing staff to ‘drop in’ to a clinic at any time that suits them

● using peer vaccinators to vaccinate colleagues

● training ward managers to vaccinate their own staff (or, if this poses an issue, to swap with another manager and vaccinate their staff).

Top tips● Use T-shirts saying: “Stop me and get your flu vaccine”● Send vaccination teams off site into community bases to vaccinate staff in their workplaces● Vaccinate people at shift changeovers and team meetings● Go to where the staff are, don’t expect them to come to you● Train a team of volunteer vaccinators who can vaccinate during nights and weekends, in various locations

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National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

Campaign website – our website is your first port of call for all the campaign materials and advice you will need. Regularly updated, it will showcase the best from local campaigns across England and give you all the latest news.

Resources to support you

Case studies – a range of good practice case studies from NHS organisations that have used innovative methods to increase their vaccination rates. We will be adding to these as the campaign continues, so keep an eye on our website for the latest information.

flu fighter

Staff vaccinations uptake soarsHull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has seen a sharp rise in the number of staff volunteering to have the seasonal flu jab this winter, thanks to a coordinated effort.

SHA region: Yorkshire and HumberHull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest acute trusts in England, providing acute services to the people of Hull and East Yorkshire.

About 8,700 people are employed in the trust, which operates from two main sites: Castle Hill Hospital and Hull Royal Infirmary.

What we did and why– Uptake of staff vaccinations against flu in 2009 was low, with just 30 per cent of eligible staff taking up the vaccinations offered. The occupational health team was aware that flu was a big risk to staff health and organisational capacity and decided to take a different approach for winter 2010.

– The trust is spread over a large site and, traditionally, the occupational health team did all the vaccinations. This meant that staff had to leave their work areas to get vaccinated and the service was not always available at times convenient for them.

– The occupational health team decided to train staff to be volunteer vaccinators and to offer vaccinations to staff at a time and place that suited them.

– This, combined with a number of very sick young people being admitted to intensive care with flu, meant that this year close to 70 per cent of staff received vaccinations.

How we did itFor 2010, planning began early. The occupational health team trained matrons, hospital and night staff, and specialist nurses as volunteer vaccinators so that they could offer vaccinations in their work areas.

They also offered vaccinations outside the staff dining area, on night shifts and at weekends, to make sure staff could take up the vaccinations at a time and place that suited them.

Alongside this, we ran a communications campaign involving frontline staff, describing why vaccination was important.

Uptake was so high that the team thought they might run out of the vaccine. But they managed to source more from neighbouring trusts and other areas of the health service.

Additional staff in key roles required for the smooth running of the organisation, including domestic and other support staff, were also vaccinated.

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaignGood practice case study

Successful campaign for staff vaccinationsSouth Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust saw the number of frontline staff receiving flu vaccinations rocket from 10 per cent to 52 per cent in 2010/2011, by using a combination of flexible ways in delivering the vaccine to staff. We are appreciative of the 50 mental health nurses who, in addition to their day jobs, gave time to be trained in the flu vaccination PGDs and supported the clinics for the entire programme.

SHA region: Staffordshire & Shropshire (West Midlands)South Staffordshire & Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability services in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Powys and specialist children’s and continuing care services across South Staffordshire. 3,500 staff are employed in the trust, which operates from two main sites at St George’s Hospital, Stafford and Shelton Hospital, Shrewsbury.

What we did and whyThe deputy director of nursing was given dedicated time to set up and manage the programme.

The secretary was relieved of her duties to provide full-time administrative support.

A team, including the deputy director of nursing, chief pharmacist, data analyst, lead infection control nurse and resuscitation officer, met daily to monitor the programme and adapt it where necessary.

Arrangements were approved by unions.

Fifty nurses were trained, with help from the primary care trust, to administer the vaccinations, and a rota was developed to ensure that two or three vaccinators were available at each clinic.

Daily clinics with an appointment system were set up between 9:30am and 4pm.

Rooms in our busy learning centre were equipped as our permanent venue to capture people attending training, meetings and conferences, and we handed out leaflets as they entered the building.

We combined the swine flu and seasonal flu vaccinations with support from our occupational health nurses.

Similar arrangements were set up in Shropshire.

A permanent clinical room was set up, including a bed, resuscitation equipment, oxygen etc.

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaignGood practice case study

flu fighter

Getting started guide – our Getting started guide sets out what flu leads need to do in advance to ensure that your campaign is a success. It stresses the need for partnership working with your local staff side and early engagement with all those involved in delivering your campaign.

This guide sets out what you need to do now to ensure that your campaign over the autumn and winter is successful. It will allow you to hit the ground running when national campaign materials are sent to you early in September 2011.

Partnership working at all levels is important to ensure that your campaign is a success. Involving your local staff side representatives during this planning stage is vital, as well as during the delivery of the campaign itself.

We hope you find this simple checklist useful for the first couple of months of your campaign. You can keep in touch with the development of the national campaign on our website at www.nhsemployers.org/flu

Keep an eye out for our activities on twitter at www.twitter.com/nhsflufighter, and on Linked-in and Facebook over the next few weeks.

Your staff-facing seasonal flu vaccination campaign starts now.

flufighting–getting started

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National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

3 Leading your campaignTo make your campaign successful it will need senior leadership.

You may or may not have one named person responsible for coordinating and running your campaign, but it is useful to draw upon a range of skills from across your organisation. Occupational health, immunisation, HR, communications and staff side colleagues may be particularly helpful, but also consider involving your infection control, nursing and training teams as they may be able to support you with valuable expertise. You might consider a working group of staff representatives from across the organisation to look at ways of increasing uptake in your organisation.

Organisations where senior leaders support and promote the vaccination tend to have higher uptake rates than those which do not. Many organisations take photographs of their directors and other senior staff, such as consultants, being vaccinated. It can also be helpful for directors and senior managers to send clear messages that managers must give staff the time required to have their vaccination.

Template letters – which can be sent to staff from your chief executive, medical director and chief nurse.

The business case for immunisation – this short PowerPoint presentation sets out the benefits of an effective staff vaccination programme and is ideal for use at senior manager or board meetings.

Resources to support you

A letter has been sent to all chief executives from Sir David Nicholson, Chief Executive of the NHS in England, to stress the importance of staff flu vaccinations

**

Environmental statementThe paper that we have used to print the campaign resources is certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) as coming from a mixture of timber from an FSC-certified forest, post-consumer reclaimed material, and sources which exclude unacceptable forestry. The printer holds the ISO14001 environmental management certificate and uses vegetable-based inks.

Page 9: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

Top tips● Encourage immediate line managers to lead in encouraging their staff to take the vaccines and arranging for them to get vaccinated.● Encourage managers to promote positive messages and encourage staff to attend clinics.● Have senior clinicians acting as champions.● Have a flu immunisation lead from the service.● Have ‘respected’ staff publicly immunised.● Use a working group with representatives from all areas to look at increasing uptake.● Have a nominated flu lead for each department.● Focus time on getting ward managers on board – encourage a positive attitude to the vaccine.● Stress the duty of care of healthcare workers to protect vulnerable patients who cannot protect themselves.● Make sure the campaign is added to your local JNC agenda.

Remember:Involve your staff side! The national campaign has been developed in partnership with staff side organisations who are extremely keen to support organisations to deliver their campaigns. Not only can staff side colleagues provide valuable input to the planning of your campaign, they can also help you reach and communicate with many staff effectively. So make use of their skills and networks! There are excellent case studies of effective partnership working available on the Social Partnership Forum website: www.socialpartnershipforum.org

We are encouraging all our staff, particularly frontline staff, to have a flu vaccination early this year. Although we had one of the highest take-up rates in the region last year, we can do better. We will be offering an incentive to staff who sign up to be vaccinated by 1 November. By ensuring our staff are vaccinated early, we hope to avoid some of the problems experienced last year.

In some cases, flu can be fatal and the vaccination is not compulsory. However, it protects you, it protects the patients in your care and it protects your family. If you are working with vulnerable people, you have a duty of care to protect them.

Phil Morley, Chief Executive Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Page 10: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

4 Busting the myths and getting the message acrossMaking people aware that the vaccine is available is important, but it is just as important that staff understand the benefits of vaccination and don’t fall prey to myths about the vaccine! Educating and informing staff can help dispel these myths before they spread and can encourage people to get the jab.

It is vital that managers understand the benefits of vaccination, not only so that they lead by example, but also so that they allow staff the time they need to get vaccinated. By getting line managers engaged and on board with the campaign (for example, ward or departmental managers) and asking them to disseminate information to their teams, you can reach a much wider audience than you would be able to alone.

MythbustingNever underestimate the potential impact that myths can have. Clinical as well as non-clinical staff can often believe things which simply are not true, and your job is to change this. Ensuring that staff can access the truth is vital. You can use your intranet page, staff newsletters and magazines, emails and notice-boards, as well as team meetings and briefings, to pass these messages on. You could set up an email address for staff to submit their questions.

InductionInduction is a key time to access staff. You could talk about the vaccine and its benefits, and promote it as the norm before staff hear the wrong information from other sources. This may be of particular help with new entrants to the health service.

Top tips● Create competition between departments and give awards to teams with the highest uptake.● Use personal stories/experiences of staff in your campaign.● Appeal to people’s desire to protect themselves and their family, not just their patients.● Sell the vaccine as a personal benefit rather than just a way of stopping people from being off sick.

Remember:

● A message to encourage staff to get the jab will automatically appear on NHS staff payslips in September.

● You must adhere to the guidance set out in the introduction to this guide if you plan to use any materials featuring the Lego characters.

Flu fighters hotline for flu leadsOur hotline allows flu leads to contact us with any queries about running your campaign. Simply call 0844 334 5252

Page 11: flu - NHS Employers/media/Employers... · Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. ... launching a competition to find a

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign – a guide to running your campaign

Flu Fighter magazine – this easy-to-read lifestyle magazine will include real-life stories, messages from staff who have had the vaccine, and mythbusters. The magazine will be delivered in the second phase of the campaign and will be with you towards the end of September 2011.

Communications toolkit – our communications toolkit contains a template press release for you to get local publicity about your campaign. Please remember the restrictions set out on page 3 about the use of the Lego characters when planning any media activity. The pack also contains articles you can use in your staff newsletters and on your intranet site.

*

Ask the expert – the ‘ask the expert’ facility on our website allows you (or your staff) to submit questions directly to experts about delivering the campaign, human resource issues around the vaccine and clinical issues.

*

Mythbuster briefings – three separate leaflets have been produced to help you bust the myths around the flu vaccine. As well as a generic leaflet for all staff, there is also a separate one for nurses and midwives with a message from the Chief Nursing Officer, and another for doctors with a message from the British Medical Association.

*

Engaging community-based staff – our top tips for making sure that staff based in community settings are involved in your campaign and offered the chance to get their vaccine.

*

Mythbusters: The movie – this short film uses comedy to dispel the myths around the flu virus. The film will be available for download from YouTube from late September and you can link to the film from your intranet page.

PowerPoint presentation – our short PowerPoint presentation contains all the key messages you need when explaining the benefits of the flu vaccine to new staff.

Resources to support you

I thought I was going to die!

How could I be helping my patients and team stuck home in bed?

How could I be helping my patients and team stuck home in bed?

NHS STAFF TRUE STORY

FLUFIGHTERFLUFIGHTER

MythbustersFind out what’s false, what’s true about flu

WHY ARE WE

LOOKING

DOWN UNDER?

Fight the flu Lu – Get a flu jab

TRUE life stories!

inside

WIN • CHILDREN’S DESIGN COMPETITION • WIN FAB PRIZES! JUNIOR FLU FIGHTERS CORNER

WINanimation

softwarefor your school

The influenza vaccine is made like any other vaccine: it contains the virus it intends to protect you from. The virus is inactivated or very weak so that your body can identify it, fight against it with minimal side effects, and be ready in case you ever contract the actual flu. You can’t catch a virus you’ve already had, so by injecting a vaccine and having your body identify it, you are protected against contracting the flu this winter. This is the actual process for making the flu vaccine: 1. Flu viruses type A and B are grown starting in late summer in the

whites (albumen) of chicken eggs. This process takes about two months.

2. The viruses are then extracted, purified, killed, and dispensed into vials. 3. Vaccine research and development is a carefully controlled and very

lengthy process. Before trials begin in humans, regulatory bodies must approve laboratory results and give ethical approval. Vaccines then go through four phases of vaccine evaluation in humans.

REMEMBER! You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine- the virus is already dead. Your body will make antibodies against the many epitopes (distinct features) of the influenza virus and thus you are protected if you encounter a live virus later on.

Don’t delay. Protect yourself,

protect the people you care

for, starting now.

The vaccine is available now

so to book your flu jab,

contact your Line Manager,

Occupational Health

or HR team.

Here’s the chance for your child to create their very own flu monster and

win a special prize for their school.

To raise awareness of seasonal flu among children in our region, we are

launching a competition to find a “scary monster” to represent the flu virus.

The winning design will not only be used as part of our Winter 2010/11

campaign but will be brought to life by the award- winning team

of filmmakers at Milky Tea. What’s more, the winner will receive

animation software for their school – helping to create animators

of the future.

HOW TO ENTERThe competition is open to ALL primary school children in the North West, from Reception Class, up to and including children in Year 6. You can download a copy of the entry form now at www.attishoo.com. The form includes some Flu Facts about the virus that will hopefully give your children inspiration as well as prompting a few questions about the flu bug itself. So be prepared!

The closing date for entries is 18 October. Entries will be judged by NHS North West and the Milky Tea team and the winner contacted by Friday 22 October before being announced on the website www.attishoo.com

Can your child design a scary

flu-bug monster?

WINGet your

design animated

A GIANT SLIMY BOGEYHEDRON?

AN EAR-SPLITTING

COUGHALOTONUS?

A TOWERING SNEEZOSAURUS?

How is flu vaccine made?

Take the Plunge

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Further informationIf you have any questions about this guide or the campaign, please email [email protected]

National NHS staff seasonal flu vaccination campaign website: www.nhsemployers.org/flu

The campaign on twitter: www.twitter.com/nhsflufighter

The campaign on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nhsflufighter

Tell us how you are getting onWe are keen to hear about how your campaign is getting on. Let us know about your successes. Drop us an email at: [email protected] call the flu fighters hotline on 0844 334 5252.