The number of NHS staff vaccinated against flu has hit record breaking levels halfway through this years' flu season, official figures from Public Health England show.
The statistics show that 55.6% of frontline NHS staff across England were vaccinated against flu between 1 September and 30 Novermber in 2016.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Enployers, which runs the flu fighter campaign said that they had planned to beat the 50.6% total at the end of last year. 'It turns out that we exceeded expectations,' he added.
'It’s not easy for busy NHS staff to find time to get vaccinated but more are having it done. We are still on track for our eventual goal of making frontline staff vaccinations as universal as washing our hands.'
The previous highest proportion NHS staff flu vaccinations was achieved by the end of the 2014/15 winter flu season (1 September 2014 to 28 February) when 54.9% were vaccinated.
The flu figher campaign aims to raise awareness of the flu vaccination to NHS staff. Before the flu fighter campaign was launched in 2010 the vaccination total was 34.7%.