Surely we can’t be talking about flu already. I know, it is only April and for some of you reading this, you will still be seeing patients poorly from this years flu season.
The UK has had one of the latest flu seasons in decades with cases peaking in February & March. In a normal year we usually see the peak over the Christmas break and in to the new year, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nothing seems to be normal anymore.
If vaccination fatigue is a thing, I am sure that every health professional is suffering with it, so seeing a post about flu training for 2022/23 may be a little too much. For a lot of you reading this post right now, you have probably given more vaccinations in the past two years than your whole professional life. With this sort of background, it is easy for us all to get complacent, but updating our training is an essential part of keeping us and our patients safe.
Training standards
As a quick recap, here are the training requirements for all healthcare professionals when it comes to vaccination:
Flu 2022/23
Why are we talking about flu training now then? We understand that for many healthcare organisations during the pandemic, accessing training has been a fine balance between releasing staff, finding the right provider, deciding if the training can be delivered on zoom etc etc, and these considerations are just the tip of the iceberg.
England and Wales have already published this years cohorts that will be offered the flu vaccination on the NHS. In England the programme will revert to the approach pre-pandemic. In contrast, in Wales the programme will remain extended to the new groups added during the pandemic. At time of writing we are still waiting to hear from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Fortunately, you do not need to worry about this, as we will keep on top of all these announcements and update your training when the decisions are made.
Planning ahead
Whether you are the person that books the training for your organisation or even if you have your training booked for you, it is never too early to get organised.
Do you need to plan the training around your summer holidays? Is it your responsibility to make sure that the whole team is up to date with their training? Are you the type of professional that likes to get the training done early and then revisit it before the season starts? Do you need to book a pharmacy workshop session including BLS, Anaphylaxis & Vaccination skills? Does your clinic need a private flu PGD?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, we can help make sure that you or your organisation is ready for the season well in advance. Visit our dedicated Flu Hub now to explore all of this years flu options.
