A GP surgery in Worcester has launched a campaign offering free flu jabs to pensioners in a bid to save lives this winter.

Patients aged 65 or over are to be offered the free jabs every Saturday morning at St John's House Surgery, in Bromyard Road, Worcester.

The surgery, which has more older people registered as patients than any other practice in the city, vaccinated 2,700 patients against the illness last year and hopes to inject even more this year.

Dr Stuart King, senior partner at the practice, said: "Influenza can kill and older people are especially vulnerable.

"It is very important that every eligible patient takes advantage of the flu vaccination.

"Five minutes of your time could save your life."

The free vaccinations will be administered by nurses at the practice and the campaign is scheduled to start this Saturday until Saturday, October 16.

An NHS spokesman backed the surgery's move, and urged patients to take up the offer.

He added: "To a fit and healthy person, flu doesn't seem like a serious illness, but as we get older we become more vulnerable to viruses like flu.

"Something that we might have shaken off quite easily in our younger days can now land us in hospital.

"Flu is a highly infectious illness, which spreads very rapidly by coughs and sneezes from people who are already carrying the virus, and may lead to more serious illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia.

Hospital

"Catching flu is a nasty experience for most people. But for some people it can lead to really serious illnesses like bronchitis and pneumonia, which may mean you need hospital treatment."

He said your body starts making antibodies to the vaccine virus about a week to 10 days after the injection, and they help protect you against any similar viruses you then come into contact with.

"The flu virus changes, so you need to have a flu jab every year to make sure that you are protected against the latest strain of the virus," he added.

"There is no active virus in a flu vaccine so it can't cause flu."