ONLY around a third of staff at an NHS trust have been vaccinated against deadly flu – but forcing doctors and nurses to have jabs breaches their human rights, say health chiefs.

Only 35 per cent of the 4,000 eligible staff at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust have been vaccinated with the combined jab against seasonal flu and swine flu, which is now considered to be just another seasonal strain of the virus.

The trust runs five community hospitals in Worcestershire, including Malvern, Pershore and Evesham, where many elderly and vulnerable patients receive vital care.

The trust also runs mental health services at Newtown Hospital and the Hadley psychiatric intensive care unit in Worcester.

Flu can be fatal and is of particular risk to the elderly, asthmatics, pregnant women and patients with compromised immune systems such as those fighting life-threatening cancers.

A complication of flu is bacterial chest infection or pneumonia, which can also kill patients.

Sandra Brennan, the trust’s director of quality, raised the issue at a meeting of the trust at Stourport Sports Club on Wednesday.

Mrs Brennan said: “We’re still quite low at 35 per cent for staff.

“We have tried to target groups, make clinics available and a specialist person that people can contact to say they want to be immunised but, despite all that, uptake has been quite low.”

The trust’s chief executive Sarah Dugan said: “It’s just really disappointing that despite our best efforts it’s still low.

“As directors we’re going over and over what we have done this year to see how we can build on it for next year.”

At the previous meeting it was suggested that some staff do not take up the vaccine because they believe it will infect them with flu and work was under way to dispel this myth.

The Worcester News spoke to the county’s leading flu expert, Dr Ash Banerjee, a public health consultant for NHS Worcestershire, who said the idea that someone could become infected with flu from the vaccine was “total rubbish”.

The flu vaccine is what he called a “dead vaccine” meaning, unlike other vaccines, it does not contain any live organism.

He said: “It’s your professional responsibility really to be vaccinated if you’re working with people who are vulnerable.

“Your first responsibility is that you don’t give your patient a disease.”

During the meeting a man who declined to be named said vaccination against flu should be made a condition of service for staff.

Mrs Brennan said some of the 35 per cent of staff who had not been immunised with the organisation would have received their jabs from a GP but figures were unavailable at present.

She added: “But I think it is about human rights “We got the option to make it compulsory which I think would prove very difficult.”

Colin Phillips, one of the trust’s non-executive directors, said: “If you inject someone against their will it’s GBH.”

Chris Burdon, the chairman of the trust, said terms and conditions for immunisation were negotiated nationally. He said: “It’s not for us to get involved directly in that.”

Flu factfile

• There are two main types of seasonal flu (A and B) with A usually being more severe. Swine flu has how added a third strain.

• Influenza occurs most often in winter and usually peaks between November and March.

• The most common complications of influenza are bronchitis and secondary bacterial pneumonia.

• These illnesses may require treatment in hospital and can be life-threatening especially in cases affecting the elderly, asthmatics and those in poor health.

• A healthy lifestyle will better equip you to fight off dangerous secondary infections should you contract flu.

• Groups at greater risk of suffering the complications of flu include those with a chronic heart or chest complaint, chronic kidney disease or diabetes. Pregnant women and those with a lowered immunity due to diseases such as AIDS or treatment such as steroid medication or cancer treatment are also high risk.

• People who are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if their carer falls ill are also strongly advised to be vaccinated.

• The recommendation also applies for anyone aged 65 years or more, and for people living in places such as residential homes for the elderly and nursing homes, where there is a high risk of flu spreading quickly.