Bucks Beds and Herts residents urged to 'protect loved ones' and top up on winter jabs

Health safety messages are being issued to residents across Bucks Beds and Herts as we enter the winter season.

The Covid and Flu jabs are once again available through the NHS, with the recently added RSV vaccine.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is monitoring rates of winter viruses and has urged people who are eligible to come forward for the jabs.

Doctors are hoping to protect a maximum of individuals ahead of the festive period, with the enhanced risk of viruses spreading.

Dr Bryn Hilton from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) East of England, said:

"These illnesses can lead to severe complications for vulnerable groups, with many people requiring hospital care each year.

"The best thing I can encourage everyone to do to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities this Christmas holiday season is to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so already."

The most vulnerable individuals are adults over the age of 65, pregnant women and their new-born babies, and those with reduced immunity, such as patients suffering from long-term health conditions.

And while each vaccine is being encouraged to take up, all three are said to benefit individuals while protecting those who need it the most.

Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at UKHSA, said: "Flu is sharply increasing and putting higher numbers in hospital.

"Unless more of those at risk and eligible for a vaccine come forward, this trend is likely to continue, resulting in more hospitalisations over Christmas and tragically resulting in more deaths than we saw last year over Christmas.

"We shouldn't forget flu can still be very serious for some and the vaccine is our best defence.

"There is still time to change this trajectory and reduce the spread of flu, but time is running out."

Wider pressures are expected this winter, in addition to increased risk of the spread of winter viruses.

The NHS has put in place a number of measures to counter these pressures, including:

• Monitoring hospitals 24/7 - to identify those needing targeted support to reduce long A&E waits and avoidable admissions. Using situational reporting, local systems can respond to pressures in real time using live data.

• Expanding same-day emergency care services - meaning over 2.5 million patients a year are being cared for in one day, rather than needing to spend the night in hospital. More than 200,000 patients were seen by SDEC services last year compared to the previous year.

• Increasing the number of virtual wards - introducing nearly 2,000 more virtual ward beds this year, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their homes.

• Dispatching urgent community response teams - which can treat people in their homes to relieve pressure on hospitals. Through these teams, older people and adults with complex health needs who urgently need care, can get fast access to a range of health and social care professionals within two hours. This includes access to physiotherapy and occupational therapy, medication prescribing and reviews, and help with staying well-fed and hydrated.

• Improving discharge for patients with complex needs - through care transfer hubs at every hospital, increasing the number of discharges by around 10,000 in October compared to the same month last year.

• Delivering winter vaccinations - including more than 27 million flu, RSV and Covid vaccinations combined so far.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.